Bar-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Bird
A long-billed wading bird that fattens up and flies thousands of kilometres non-stop across the ocean without a single rest.
💡 Fun Facts
- Over a whole year this wading bird covers about 29,000 kilometres on its travels between the Arctic and warmer shores.
- One famous feat is a single non-stop flight of around 11,000 to 13,000 kilometres across the Pacific, taking some eleven days without landing, eating or drinking.
- To fuel such journeys it nearly doubles its weight in fat beforehand and even shrinks its gut to carry more fuel; many spend winter on British estuaries like The Wash.
Name Story
Limosa lapponica
means “the muddy bird from Lapland”
What does its name mean?
- Limosa — muddy — for its mudflat feeding groundsLatin limus 'mud' + -osa 'full of'
- lapponica — of Lapland — part of its northern breeding rangeLatin, from Lapponia 'Lapland'
The name maps its life: 'muddy' for the estuary mudflats where it feeds, and 'of Lapland' for the far-northern lands where it nests.