Hudsonian Godwit

Overview

Hudsonian Godwit: Large sandpiper with white-scaled, brown-black upperparts, black-barred chestnut-brown underparts. Long bill, slightly upcurved and pink with black tip. White rump, white wing-bar, black underwings visible in flight. Legs and feet are blue-gray. Swift, powerful undulating flight.

Range and Habitat

Hudsonian Godwit: Nests on mixed tundra/wetlands in northern Canada and Alaska. Migrates south off the Atlantic coast to South America for the winter. Preferred habitats include muddy, sandy, or rocky shores, freshwater marshes, mudflats, and flooded fields.

INTERESTING FACTS

After breeding, the Hudsonian Godwit undertakes a migration from the subarctic to southern South America, in which it apparently makes nonstop flights of several thousand miles.
It is the smallest and least known of the world’s four godwit species.
It once was regarded as one of North America’s rarest birds; though it is now known to be much more numerous, it is still considered highly vulnerable because its population is concentrated at only a few sites.
A group of godwits are collectively known as an "omniscience", "pantheon", and "prayer" of godwits.

The Hudsonian Godwit is rated as Least Concern at this time. The range of the Hudsonian Godwit is around 180,000 square kilometers. The population of this bird species is approximately 50,000 individuals. The Hudsonian Godwit is native to the Caribbean, North America, Central America and South America. This bird is also sometimes seen in Australia, South Africa and the Netherlands. The prior rating for this bird was Lower Risk. That rating was downgraded to Least Concern in 2004. At this time, the range and the population of the Hudsonian Godwit is considered to be stable.