Sandpiper-like Birds

Hudsonian Godwit  Limosa haemastica

Family: Sandpipers, Scolopacidae

Audio: Martyn Stewart, © Naturesound.org

An estimated 67% of the species' North American population breeds within the Boreal Forest.

Description  15" (38 cm). A large slender shorebird with a long, slightly upturned bill. Breeding adult has barred chestnut underparts, mottled brown upperparts. Fall birds grayish above, whitish below. All plumages have black and white tail, broad white wing stripe, and black wing linings.

Habitat  Breeds on tundra; mainly mudflats during migration.

Nesting  4 olive-buff eggs, spotted with brown and black, in a shallow grass-lined hollow on the ground.

Voice  A loud kerreck or god-wit call, similar to call of Marbled Godwit but higher pitched. Usually silent.

Range  Breeds in Alaska, Mackenzie, northwestern British Columbia, and around Hudson Bay. Winters in southern South America.

Discussion  Never common, the Hudsonian Godwit was for many years hunted for food and became scarce. Now completely protected, it has increased in number considerably. It is still considered a rarity, however, because during migration to and from the Southern Hemisphere the Hudsonian Godwit engages in long flights, traveling nonstop between James Bay, Canada, and the Gulf Coast, and thus bypassing most birders. On the coastal mudflats of the northeastern states, this large shorebird can be seen in flocks of up to several dozen during fall passage.