Hudsonian godwit

The Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica) is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. It is a long distance migratory species that breeds at remote sites in northern Canada and winters in southern South America. The genus name Limosa is from Latin and means "muddy", from limus, "mud". The specific haemastica is from Ancient Greek and means "bloody".The English term "godwit" is believed to imitate the bird's call.

Taxonomy

The Hudsonian godwit was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it in the genus Scolopax and coined the binomial name Scolopax haemastica.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Linnaeus based his entry on the "red-breasted godwit" that had been described and illustrated in 1750 by the English naturalist George Edwards in the third volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Edwards had obtained a specimen that had been collected in the Hudson Bay region of Canada by James Isham, an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company. <ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Linnaeus specified the type locality as North America but this is restricted to the Hudson Bay following Edwards.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Hudsonian godwit is now one of four species placed in the genus Limosa that was introduced in 1760 by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. The species is considered to be monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.<ref name=ioc>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The genus name Limosa is from Latin and means "muddy", from limus, "mud". The specific epithet haemastica is from Ancient Greek haimatikos meaning "bloody".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The English name "godwit" was first recorded in about 1416–17 and is believed to imitate the bird's call.<ref name=OED>Template:Cite OED</ref>

Description

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. The legs and feet are bluish-grey.<ref name=BOC />

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Distribution and habitat

They migrate to South America and the Caribbean. These birds gather at James Bay before fall migration. In good weather, many birds make the trip south without stopping. They are vagrants to Europe, Australia, and South Africa.

They can perhaps be most easily seen in migration on the east coast of North America where they can be plentiful in migration in late July through early August.

Behaviour and ecology

Breeding

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 olive-buff eggs marked with darker splotches. Incubation period is 22 days.<ref name=BOC /> Both parents look after the young birds, who find their own food and are able to fly within a month of hatching.<ref name=bow/>

Food and feeding

These birds forage by probing in shallow water. They eat invertebrates and plant material.<ref name=bow>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Status

The species is classified as of Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.<ref name=iucn/>

External links

• Hudsonian godwit - Limosa haemastica - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
• Hudsonian godwit Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
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