Hudsonian Godwit

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Hudsonian Godwit

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Scolopacidae
Genus:	Limosa
Species:	L. haemastica

Binomial name

Limosa haemastica
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Hudsonian Godwit, Limosa haemastica, is a large shorebird.

Adults have long dark legs and a long pink bill with a slight upward curve and dark at the tip. The upper parts are mottled brown and the underparts are chestnut. The tail is black and the rump is white. They show black wing linings in flight.

Their breeding habitat is the far north near the tree line in northwestern Canada and Alaska, also on the shores of Hudson Bay. They nest on the ground, in a well-concealed location in a marshy area. The female usually lays 4 eggs. Both parents look after the young birds, who find their own food and are able to fly within a month of birth.

They migrate to South America. These birds gather at James Bay before fall migration. In good weather, many birds make the trip south without stopping.

These birds forage by probing in shallow water. They mainly eat insects and crustaceans.

Their numbers were reduced by hunting at the end of the 19th century.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Limosa haemastica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern