From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) is a large wader in the family, which breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the , and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World.It makes the longest non-stop flight known for any bird and also the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal, 11,680 kilometres (7,258 mi) along a route from Alaska to New Zealand.
The Bar-tailed Godwit is a relatively short-legged species of godwit. The bill-to-tail length is 37–41 cm, with a wingspan of 70–80 cm. Males average smaller than females but with much overlap; males weigh 190–400g, while females weigh 260–630 g; there is also some regional variation in size. The adult has blue-grey legs and a very long dark bill with a slight upward curve and pink at the tip. The neck, breast and belly are unbroken brick red in breeding plumage, off white in winter. The back is mottled grey.
It is distinguished from the Black-tailed Godwit by its barred, rather than wholly black, tail and a lack of white wing bars.
