Black-tailed godwit
Black-tailed godwit. Photo: Peter Lind
Introduction
Latin Limosa limosa
Estonian Mustsaba-vigle
Also known as: Asiatic black-tailed godwit, blacktailed godwit
Status in Estonia
Breeding and migratory bird.
Description
The black-tailed godwit is a somewhat large wader with a long neck and straight beak. In flight, a wide white wing streak, a black tail stripe, a square white preen gland area and a head and neck as long as the tail and legs are visible, forming a distinctive elongated silhouette. The beak is yellow or orange in the summer and pink in the winter. In the summer, the male bird has brighter and more striking orange-brown plumage than the female bird. The cover feathers on the belly and tail are pale, while the sides have thick transverse specks. In the winter, the chest and upper body are uniformly light brownish-grey. The neck and breast of juveniles are orange-cream in colour, while the wing coverts have a light scale pattern and circular dark tips.
Size
Body length 37–42 cm (incl. beak 8–11 cm), wingspan 63–74 cm, body mass 160–440 g.
Similar species
Bar-tailed godwit.
Distribution
It breeds throughout the Palaearctic’s temperate and boreal zones, spending the winter in Africa, the Middle East, Southern Asia and Australia. It is a breeding bird with scattered distribution in Estonia.
Population
Estonia has 500–700 breeding pairs.
Occurrence in Estonia
It arrives in late March/early April. It leaves the breeding grounds in July. Autumn migration occurs in August to September.
Diet
It feeds on insects and their larvae, annelids, molluscs, crustaceans, spiders, fish eggs, frogspawn and tadpoles; in winter, worms and molluscs are the main sources of food.
Habitat
In Estonia, the black-tailed godwit breeds in bogs (ideally in the transition mire region), beach meadows and flood-meadows, occasionally on islets close to the beach. It prefers a surface with minimal and low tussocks as well as an intensively or semi-intensively grazed or mowed area.
Nesting
The nest is built where the foliage is higher than the surrounding region. Low foliage around the nest allows incubating birds to observe more of their surroundings, giving them a higher chance of spotting predators early on. The nest hollow is lined with straw. From April to May, the female bird lays four greenish-brown speckled eggs. Both parents incubate alternatively for 22–25 days. The mother bird departs for its wintering grounds a few days after the chicks hatch, but the male bird stays with the chicks for a while. The chicks are able to fly about 20 days after hatching and some stay at the nesting location while others leave with the male bird. Since the male bird doesn’t know where the female flew to spend the winter, he chooses a random wintering location. They return to the nest site from the previous year for the next breeding season. Such a partnership lasts for many years. The search for a new mate begins only when one of the partners does not appear at the nesting location.
Conservation status and protection
It belongs to the protected species of category II. The main reason for the decline in the European population is thought to be the deterioration of breeding areas, which can be expressed in the increased management and drainage of areas as well as (particularly in Estonia) in the reduced management of semi-natural habitats. Lesser-known but potentially serious threats include habitat destruction along migration routes and wintering grounds as well as the use of insecticides on wintering grounds in East Africa. Environmental degradation, damage to nesting areas, human disturbance and hunting all have a negative impact.
Distribution and population in Lääne County
The black-tailed godwit is an uncommon breeding and migratory bird in Lääne County. Black-tailed godwits breed in Lääne County’s coastal meadows and bogs. As a breeding bird, it is most common in Lääne County’s Suursoo bog and Marimetsa raised bog. Individual pairs also breed in the well-maintained beach meadows in Matsalu and Haapsalu bays.
During migration, black-tailed godwits are more common in Haeska and Põgari, although during breeding season, they can also be seen on the Puise Peninsula.