Scientific Name: Limosa lapponica
Malay Name: Kedidi-Raja Ekor Belang
Chinese Name: 斑尾塍鹬
Range: Breeds in northern Palearctic, Alaska. Winters along the coast of Africa, Europe, Asia and Australasia.
Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: lapponica, taymyrensis, menzbieri, baueri.
Size: 37-41 cm
Identification: A fairly large wader with long blackish legs, rather long neck, a long, tapering, slightly upturned bi-coloured bill: pink at the base and black towards the tip. Breeding plumage is dark brick-red below (male) or chestnut to cinnamon (female); nonbreeding plumage is overall gray-brown with white belly. In flight shows rather plain upperwings with only a faint whitish wing stripe. White tail with blackish bars separate it from the Black-tailed Godwit.
Similar looking species: Asian Dowitcher, Black-tailed Godwit
Habitat: Mudflats, sandflats, beaches and brackish coastal lagoons.
Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds on open mud, sand and in shallower water by probing its long bill into the mud.
Local Status: Uncommon migrant
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2017)
Location: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Mandai Mudflat, Chek Jawa at Pulau Ubin.
- Bird List Revision for May 2019 (Revisions)
- Migrant bar charts – Aug 28 update (Blog)
Featured reports: Mar 2022, Apr 2022, Sep 2022, Oct 2022, Nov 2022, Dec 2022, Jan 2023, Feb 2023, Mar 2023
Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Bar-tailed Godwit)
References:
BirdLife International. (2017). Limosa lapponica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22693158A111221714.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Bar-tailed Godwit. Retrieved on September 24, 2023 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/bar-tailed-godwit.