The Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) is a long-legged wading bird, 37–41 cm long with a wingspan of around 70–80 cm and a weight of 230–450 grams, best known for its long, slightly upturned bill. In breeding plumage the male is striking, with a glowing brick-red underside against a dark, mottled back; the female is larger, paler grey-beige, and has a longer bill. In flight the species lacks both the black tail band and the clear white wingbar shown by the similar Black-tailed Godwit, a useful distinction between the two. Its call is a fairly light, nasal "kve-ve" along with a plaintive "aeh-aeh," most often heard from resting or flying flocks.
The Bar-tailed Godwit does not breed in Sweden but passes through as a migrant, forming large resting flocks along the coasts, especially on the west coast, with classic sites such as Getterön and Falsterbo hosting the biggest numbers, mainly in May and again from July to September. It breeds instead on tundra across northern Eurasia and northwestern Alaska, and some populations undertake some of the longest non-stop flights of any bird — one individual of the Alaskan subspecies flew 13,560 km non-stop from Alaska to Tasmania in 11 days, a world record for a land bird. The species is declining overall, particularly in the eastern part of its range, and is classed as Near Threatened (NT) globally. On its breeding tundra it nests in a shallow scrape on open, damp ground, while on migration it feeds by probing deep into soft mud and wet sand for marine worms, small mussels, crustaceans and insects.
Read about this species in Swedish →