Black-tailed Godwit

Common Name	Black-tailed GodwitBirdlife International
Species name	Limosa limosaBirdlife International
Family	Scolopacidae
Genus
Local Name	Country Appearance Local name Brunei Darussalam     Cambodia     China     Indonesia     Japan Yes オグロシギ Lao PDR     Malaysia     Mongolia     Myanmar     Philippines     Republic of Korea     Singapore     Thailand     Vietnam

 

Visual and Sound Image

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Black-tailed Godwit

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Sounds

 

Identification

0-44cm. Large rather graceful wader, with long bill on a relatively small head, long neck and long legs. Colour of fore-body is dull pink-chestnut in summer, paler grey-brown in winter. In flight has a striking white wing-bar and rump.
<Similar specoies> Unmistakeable in flight but sometimes difficult to separate from L. lapponica when on ground at distance. Told from the latter by its distinctive bill structure and much leggier and more erect appearance.
<Voice> High-pitched, nasal, rather strident calls given during breeding season, most common of which is a weeka-weeka-weeka. Characteristic call of birds in flocks is a softer kip kip... or chut chut...

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Range Description

Limosa limosa has a large discontinuous breeding range extending from Iceland to the Russian far east, with wintering populations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia1. It occurs as three subspecies, L. l. islandica, L. l. limosa, and L. l. melanuroides. L. l. islandica breeds predominantly in Iceland, with much smaller numbers in the Faeroe Islands, Shetland (United Kingdom) and the Lofoten Islands (Norway). L. l. limosa breeds across a wide area extending from Western and Central Europe to central Asia and Asiatic Russia as far east as the river Yenisey. L. l. melanuroides breeds in disjunct populations in Mongolia, northern China, Siberia (Russia) and the Russian far east. The species migrates across a broad front and has wintering grounds extending from the Republic of Ireland to Australia, encompassing the Mediterranean, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of the Middle East, India, Indochina, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. The global population has recently been estimated at 634,000-805,000 individuals5. Population trends vary in different parts of its range. There have been large and well-documented declines in mainland Europe (e.g. in The Netherlands, where the population in has decreased dramatically from 120,000-135,000 pairs in 1969, 85,000-100,000 pairs in 1989-1991 to 62,000 pairs in 2004)6,7,16 and in the species's Australian wintering grounds8, which hold c.50% of the wintering population of L. l. melanuroides9. However, in Central Asia the breeding population appears to be stable or fluctuating10, and in Iceland numbers are increasing (although at 37,000-47,000 individuals this subpopulation is only a small part of the global population)5. A recent analysis based on published literature, survey data and expert opinions from throughout the species's range suggests that, overall, the global population may have declined at a rate approaching 30% over the last 15 years11.

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Ecology

Ecology (Behaviour)

This species is highly gregarious and migrates on a broad front, making long-distance flights,often overland between relatively few staging and wintering areas1. It breeds from April to mid-June in loose, semi-colonial groups of up to 3 pairs per ha15. Non-breeding birds remain in flocks, often near to the breeding colonies18. As soon as the young fledge, breeding birds begin to congregate in loose flocks of up to 500 individuals18. The species migrates southwards between late-June and October1. During the autumn migration it may roost in flocks of tens of thousands in favoured sites1, and many adults pause in North Morocco in July to moult18. Huge flocks occur at some wintering sites, particularly in the floodplains of Lake Chad18. Elsewhere (eg Morocco) flocks are smaller18. The return passage occurs between February and April1, and birds arrive at the breeding grounds in groups of 5-30 individuals17. Many one-year-old birds remain in the wintering range during the summer1. During the winter and migration the species usually forages gregariously1.

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Habitat

<Breeding> In its breeding range it mostly inhabits areas with high grass and soft soil1,17, occasionally using sandy areas17. Its preferred habitats include cattle pastures, hayfields17, lowland wet grasslands, grassy marshland, raised bogs and moorland, lake margins and damp grassy depressions in steppe1. Subspecies islandica shows a distinct preference for large patches of dwarf-birch bog and marsh, particularly with abundant sedge-pools1,15. Extensive farmland habitats are of critical importance for breeding Western European populations1. After the young have fledged, adults and fledgelings often move to secondary habitat which more closely resembles that of their non-breeding range, including wet damp areas around fish-ponds and sewage farms, tidal marshes, mud flats and salt-water lagoons2,18.
<Non-breeding> Subspecies limosa tends to winter in freshwater habitats1, including swampy lake shores, pools, flooded grassland and irrigated rice fields1. Subspecies islandica and melanuroides, however, often winter in brackish habitats1 such as sheltered estuaries and lagoons with large intertidal mudflats17, sandy beaches, salt-marshes and salt-flats1.

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Diet

Its diet consists of adult and larval insects (especially beetles), annelid and polychaete worms, molluscs, ragworms, crustaceans, spiders, fish eggs, and the spawn and tadpoles of frogs1,17. On the breeding grounds grasshoppers and other orthopterans are often prevalent in the diet17. Particularly during the winter and on migration it will also take plant material including berries, seeds and rice grains1,18. On its wintering grounds in Portugal, the bivalve Scrobicularia plana has been found to represent its primary food source23.

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Breeding Site

The nest is placed on the ground in short, often luxurious vegetation1,17,18. It consists of a shallow scrape 12-15cm in diameter, lined with a thick mat of stem grass, leaves and other available vegetation18. Breeding birds show a high degree of nest site fidelity1 and some degree of natal philopatry24..

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References

1. del Hoyo et al. (1996). 2. Tucker and Heath (1994). 3. A. van Dijk in litt. (2005). 4. H. Hotker in litt. (2005). 5. Wetlands International (in press). 6. Tucker and Heath (1994). 7. BirdLife International (2004a). 8. S. Garnett in litt. (2005). 9. Watkins (1993). 10. L. Belyalova et al. in litt. (2005). 11. I. Burfield in litt. (2005). 12. S. Nagy in litt. (2005). 13. A. Mischenko in litt. (2007). 14. Gunnarsson et al. (2005). 15. Gunnarsson et al. (2006). 16. EU Technical Report 19 (2007). 17. Johnsgard (1981). 18. Cramp et al. (1983). 19. Verhulst et al. (2007). 20. van der Zande et al. (1980). 21. Reijnen et al. (1996). 22. Musters et al. (2001). 23. Moreira (1994). 24. Kruk et al. (1998). 17. Johnsgard (1981). 18. Cramp et al. (1983). 19. Verhulst et al. (2007). 20. van der Zande et al. (1980). 21. Reijnen et al. (1996). 22. Musters et al. (2001). 23. Moreira (1994). 24. Kruk et al. (1998).

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Status

International Status

IUCN Red List Category

NT

Justification

Although this species is widespread and has a large global population, its numbers have declined rapidly in parts of its range owing to changes in agricultural practices. Overall, the global population is estimated to be declining at such a rate that the species qualifies as Near Threatened.
<Population justification> 162,000-183,000 in western Europe, 90,000-165,000 in eastern Europe (BirdLife International 2004 [Birds in Europe]); 25,000-100,000 in west-central Asia (Perennou et al. 1994, Stroud et al. 2004); 150,000 in central Asia and Siberia (Asian Waterbird Census unpublished data); 160,000 in the rest of Asia to Australia (Bamford in prep.); 47,000 islandica in Faeroes and Iceland (Gunnarsson et al. 2005)
<Trend justification> There is still some degree of uncertainty about the size and trend of some of the sub-populations. Nevertheless, looking at 'best' and 'worse' case scenarios, the available information suggests that the global population has probably declined by between 14% and 33% over the past 15 years (=3 generations). Assuming that the 'actual' trend lies somewhere between these extremes, it seems likely that the global population may have declined by c.25% since 1990. Thus the species's trend is currently best placed in the 20-29% band. This information is provided by I. Burfield in litt (2005), with reference to a spreadsheet of detailed calculations based on best-worse case scenarios using population estimates from Wetlands International (2006), and trend data from Birds in Europe 2, the Asian Water bird Census, Wetlands International and forum contributors. In Europe, trends since 1990 show that populations have undergone a moderate decline (p<0.01), based on provisional data for 21 countries from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (EBCC/RSPB/BirdLife/Statistics Netherlands; P. Vorisek in litt. 2008).

 

National Status

Country	Category	Reference
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
China	I	China Red Data book of Endangered Animals(1998) （Extinct, Extirpated, Endangered, Vulnerable, Rare, Interninate）
Indonesia
Japan
Korea
Lao PDR
Malaysia
Mongolia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam

 

Management

Threat

Loss of nesting habitat owing to wetland drainage and agricultural intensification, and conversely, abandonment, are the most significant threats13. Detrimental activities include the conversion of wet meadows to arable land, increased fertilisation and drainage of grassland, artificial flooding of nesting habitats, earlier and more frequent cutting, spring burning and overgrowing by scrub2,3,13. On intensively grazed pastures, trampling is a major cause of nest loss. Habitat fragmentation may cause particular problems for this species, which nests in dispersed colonies and sub-colonies as protection against predators and may be unlikely to breed successfully in small areas of habitat. Hunting is another significant threat. In the European Union (EU), only France continues to legally hunt this species, although a small amount of illegal hunting occurs elsewhere12. Annual bag statistics indicate that c. 1,000 Black-tailed Godwits are shot each year, down from >100,000 per year in 1980-199012. Outside the EU, for example on the African wintering grounds, hunting is known to occur but its scale and impact is unknown. Water pollution is probably an issue in parts of the species's range4, and drought in the West African wintering quarters may have had negative impacts on the mainland European population2. The Icelandic population is potentially at risk from the policy of the Icelandic government to encourage afforestion of the lowland habitats where they breed12. Juvenile birds which select good wintering sites also select good breeding sites14, therefore maintaining high quality wintering sites is crucial to raising productivity on breeding grounds and slowing the rate of decline. There is a marked decrease in the density of breeding birds near to roads, particularly those with heavy traffic20,21. The occurance of natal philopatry means that a decrease in local recruitment could prove catastrophic for individual breeding sites24.

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Information

No descriptions

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Current Conservation

An EU Management Plan for 2007-2009 has been adopted, and an AEWA Action Plan is in preparation. Intensive management of breeding habitat has been carried out in some Western European countries4, and a number of agri-environment schemes focus on this species, although results have been mixed12,13, 19,22. It occurs in a number of protected areas.

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Current Conservation

Obtain more quantitative data on status, population trends and conservation requirements outside Europe. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of current conservation action. In the EU, use a mixture of agri-environment schemes and large reserves to secure protection and appropriate management of breeding habitat. Establish nature reserves on important breeding sites throughout the species's range. Manage existing reserves appropriately (prescriptions include avoiding drainage of existing wet meadows, raising water tables where necessary, low-level use of organic fertiliser, low intensity grazing, late mowing, and prevention of succession to bushy vegetation; winter flooding is sometimes recommended but may reduce numbers of invertebrate prey14). Ensure that migratory staging posts and winter feeding habitats and roosts are conserved and monitored. Place a temporary ban on hunting throughout the EU until there is clear evidence that the population has returned to a favourable conservation status, and effectively enforce it. Collaborate with farmers and hunters, carrying out environmental education and outreach work where appropriate. Prevent afforestation of lowland breeding habitat in Iceland. Prevent a loss of key breeding areas due to abandonment of grasslands and meadows in East Europe and Russian far east.

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Legal Protection

Country	Status	Reference
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
China
Indonesia
Japan
Korea
Lao PDR
Malaysia	Protected Wild Birds Part I: Game Birds	Law of Malaysia Act 76, Protection of Wild Life Act 1972 (Amend. 2006)
Mongolia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam

 

Related Links

• EU Management Plan
• AEWA Action Plan

Range

Geographical Information

Migration Route

 

Asian Waterbird Census

Descriptions

The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) was initiated in 1987 and runs in parallel with other waterbird censuses carried out in Africa, Europe, Central and West Asia and Latin America under the umbrella of the International Waterbird Census (IWC), which is organised by Wetlands International.

The AWC takes place annually, during the second and third weeks of January, and is carried out by volunteers interested in collecting information on waterbirds and wetlands as a basis for contributing to their conservation.

Reference: Li, Z.W.D., Bloem, A., Delany S., Martakis G. and Quintero J. O. 2009. Status of Waterbirds in Asia - Results of the Asian Waterbird Census: 1987-2007. Wetlands International, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Census Data

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)
The total number of count sites	2	3	3	2	4	4	0	4	4	4	4	5	5	0	0	0	9	0	0	1	0	9
CAMBODIA	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual								3			2			9						2
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)								1			1			1						1
The total number of count sites	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	11	0	0	12	12	11	5	1	6	9	6	6
CHINA	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual				1795							2							137	372	2000		27
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)				1							1							2	1	1		1
The total number of count sites	0	1	34	12	50	60	67	29	6	14	6	15	21	20	14	10	22	45	80	81	59	72
INDONESIA	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual				2200	3483		1	500	207					15	4		658	21		11		11
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)				1	4		1	1	2					1	1		2	1		2		2
The total number of count sites	0	0	0	1	19	8	17	17	15	19	16	0	0	47	12	10	40	34	14	16	15	23
JAPAN	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual															2	1	2	1	3	4	3	4
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)															2	1	2	1	2	2	2	1
The total number of count sites	0	0	0	53	39	52	47	20	50	40	47	37	41	37	107	112	103	109	97	159	142	137
LAO PDR	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)
The total number of count sites	0	0	0	2	4	5	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	14	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
MALAYSIA	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual				217	601	100	1234	12		3				20	49	65	108	293	1347	113	624	142
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)				3	3	3	4	3		1				1	3	2	4	4	4	2	10	3
The total number of count sites	0	0	0	59	68	93	85	17	10	7	10	0	0	20	25	25	25	43	43	82	82	40
MYANMAR	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual															3	281					1279
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)															1	1					4
The total number of count sites	0	5	3	12	17	15	21	20	13	12	2	4	2	0	7	32	47	73	24	31	32	19
PHILIPPINES	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual					8	6	71	12	28	43	85	87	90	58	88	71	31	68	20	25
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)					1	2	4	2	5	1	8	3	5	3	6	3	1	5	3	2
The total number of count sites	0	0	0	0	19	21	34	39	46	47	39	28	29	32	43	38	50	47	56	54	65	108
SINGAPORE	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual						13	1	1	4		9		1	2		1
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)						1	1	1	2		3		1	1		1
The total number of count sites	0	0	0	0	4	12	17	15	13	14	10	10	6	11	10	10	8	9	9	8	8	7
REPUBLIC OF KOREA	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)
The total number of count sites	0	0	10	12	22	20	20	15	10	22	25	22	14	68	99	112	118	116	117	123	127	127
THAILAND	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual	2	1		11		15	4		105			4		1200	157		23	276	107	2167	3199	3173
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)	2	1		2		1	1		2			1		1	1		1	3	3	11	14	7
The total number of count sites	10	8	3	20	26	12	23	16	17	5	9	3	1	1	7	3	9	26	20	82	99	33
VIETNAM	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The number of observed individual				150			2	100					1100	6	9	228	62	25	109	145	676	127
The number of observed sites(not all count sites)				1			1	1					1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	5	4
The total number of count sites	0	0	0	1	2	0	1	4	0	1	1	0	1	8	2	2	16	4	4	9	6	11

 

Population

Descriptions

 

Population Trend

 

Additional Information

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Climate change species distributions

 

Other Information

• Detailed species account from Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status (BirdLife International 2004)