Godwits on Arran
Reports
Godwit: this unusual name intrigues me. The English name "godwit" first appeared around 1416–1417 and is believed by etymologists and the Oxford English Dictionary to have originally been an imitation of the bird's call
Godwits are a group of four large, long-billed, long-legged and strongly migratory waders. Their long bills allow them to probe deeply in the sand for aquatic worms and molluscs. In their winter range, they flock together where food is plentiful. They breed in northern latitudes including the Arctic, migrating south for the winter. It is usually on migration that they turn up on Arran as uncommon passage migrants
“Strongly migratory” is a bit of an understatement. Tracked birds have been recorded making huge journeys. For example in October 2022, a 5 month old, male Bar-tailed Godwit was tracked from Alaska to Tasmania, a trip that took 11 days, and recorded a non-stop flight of 13,500 km (8,400 mi)!
Godwits can be distinguished from the more familiar wader, Curlew, which has a curved bill. Godwits have straight or slightly upturned bills. Two godwit species have been recorded in Arran, Bar-tailed Godwit and Black-tailed Godwit. Both species were recorded on Arran in September this year. There was one report of one Black-tailed Godwit in Lamlash on 17th and nine reports of Bar-tailed Godwit from two locations - Blackwaterfoot and Kildonan, including two in Blackwaterfoot between 25th and 28th inclusive. Their winter plumages are fairly drab, but both have reddish underparts when in breeding plumage.
In flight, both species are easy to tell apart. The Black-tailed Godwit has a bold white wing-bar, a square white rump, and a strikingly solid black tail, whereas the Bar-tailed Godwit lacks white wing stripes and instead shows a white V-shape or wedge running up its back. Its tail is finely barred. Telling them apart as they feed on the shore is trickier. The Bar-tailed Godwit’s bill is slightly upturned. The Black-tailed Godwit’s bill is straight. In winter, Black-tailed Godwit has a plain grey-brown back, while Bar-tailed Godwit retains a streaky, patterned back year-round.
Look out for both species feeding on the shores round Arran this winter.
