Marbled godwit
Marbled godwit | |
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Scientific classification![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Scolopacidae |
Genus: | Limosa |
Species: | L. fedoa
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Binomial name | |
Limosa fedoa | |
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Range ofL. fedoa Breeding Range Non-breeding Range
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Synonyms | |
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Themarbled godwit(Limosa fedoa) is a large migratoryshorebirdin the familyScolopacidae.On average, it is the largest of the four species ofgodwit.
Taxonomy
[edit]In 1750 the English naturalistGeorge Edwardsincluded an illustration and a description of the marbled godwit in the third volume of hisA Natural History of Uncommon Birds.He used the English name "The Greater American Godwit". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a preserved specimen that had been brought to London from theHudson Bayarea of Canada byJames Isham.[2]When in 1758 the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeusupdated hisSystema Naturaefor thetenth edition,he placed the marbled godwit with godwits and ibises in thegenusScolopax.Linnaeus included a brief description, coined thebinomial nameScolopax fedoaand cited Edwards' work.[3]The marbled godwit is now placed in the genusLimosathat was introduced in 1760 by the French zoologistMathurin Jacques Brisson.[4][5]The genus nameLimosais fromLatinand means "muddy", fromlimus,"mud". The specific epithetfedoamay be anOld Englishname for a godwit.[6]The word was mentioned by the English naturalistWilliam Turnerin 1544.[7][8]
Twosubspeciesare recognised:[5]
- L. f. beringiaeGibson & Kessel, 1989 – breeds in Alaska and winters in the west United States. Averages shorter legs and bill than nominate subspecies.
- L. f. fedoa(Linnaeus,1758) – breeds in central, south-central Canada, and the north-central United States, winters in southern United States to northwest South America. A disjunct breeding population breeds inJames Bay.
Description
[edit]The total length is 40–50 cm (16–20 in), including a large bill of 8–13 cm (3.1–5.1 in), and wingspan is 70–88 cm (28–35 in).[9]Body mass can vary from 240 to 520 g (8.5 to 18.3 oz). The average weight of 40 males was 326 g (11.5 oz) and that of 45 females was 391 g (13.8 oz). Bill length is from 73.9 to 131 mm (2.91 to 5.16 in). Among all the members of the sandpiper family, only thecurlewsattain sizes that significantly exceed this species.[10][11]
Adults have long blue-grey legs and a very long pink bill with a slight upward curve and dark at the tip. The long neck, breast and belly are pale brown with dark bars on the breast and flanks. The back is mottled and dark. They show cinnamon wing linings in flight.
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Marbled godwits breed in three distinct areas with their own unique route. The vast majority occur in mid-continental North America, followed by eastern Canada and the Alaska Peninsula, USA. In addition, the largest winter ranges are the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts of the US and Mexico.[12]
Godwits breeding in the western USA and Canada follow a route through the Utah stopover site, with a final arrival in the winter sites of Mexico and the Caribbean. Species breeding in eastern Canada migrate across the US, and stopover at sites along the Gulf of California and Mexico. Furthermore, those breeding in North and South Dakota winter in coastal Georgia.[12]The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge located at Great Salt Lake in Utah (USA), is one of the most popular stopover sites for godwits in the spring and fall.
Behavior and ecology
[edit]Breeding
[edit]They nest on the ground, usually in short grass.
Food and feeding
[edit]These birds forage by probing on mudflats, inmarshes,or at the beach (see picture below). When the tide is out, they eat. In short grass, they may pick up insects by sight. They mainly eat insects andcrustaceans,but also eat parts of aquatic plants.
When the tide is in, they roost. They often sleep by standing on one leg and tucking their bill into their body (see picture below).[13]
Conservation
[edit]Their numbers were reduced by hunting at the end of the 19th century. Although they had recovered somewhat since that time, their population has declined in recent times as suitable habitat is used for farming.
Gallery
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Feeding on mudflat at low tide,Elkhorn Slough
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Marbled godwits feeding,Point Reyes National Seashore,California
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In flight
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Flock
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Sleeping atBalboa Peninsula, Newport Beach,California.
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Bodega Bay, California
References
[edit]- ^BirdLife International (2016)."Limosa fedoa".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2016:e.T22693162A93387912.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693162A93387912.en.Retrieved12 November2021.
- ^Edwards, George(1750).A Natural History of Uncommon Birds.Vol. Part III. London: Printed for the author at the College of Physicians. p. 137, Plate 137.
- ^Linnaeus, Carl(1758).Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis(in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 146.
- ^Brisson, Mathurin Jacques(1760).Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Divisio Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés(in French and Latin). Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche.Vol. 1, p. 48,Vol. 5, p. 261.
- ^abGill, Frank;Donsker, David;Rasmussen, Pamela,eds. (July 2021)."Sandpipers, snipes, coursers".IOC World Bird List Version 11.2.International Ornithologists' Union.Retrieved14 October2021.
- ^Jobling, James A. (2010).The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names.London: Christopher Helm. pp.158,227.ISBN978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^Newton, Alfred(1893–1896)."Fedoa".A Dictionary of Birds.London: Adam and Charles Black. p. 248.
- ^Turner, William(1903) [1544].Turner on Birds: a short and succinct history of the principal birds noticed by Pliny and Aristotle first published by Doctor William Turner, 1544(in Latin and English). Translated byEvans, A.H.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 45.
- ^[1](2011).
- ^CRC Handbook of Avian Body Massesby John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992),ISBN978-0-8493-4258-5.
- ^Gratto-Trevor, C. L. (2020).Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa),version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- ^abOlson, Bridget E.; Sullivan, Kimberley A.; Farmer, Adrian H. (May 2014)."Marbled Godwit migration characterized with satellite telemetry".The Condor.116(2): 185–194.doi:10.1650/CONDOR-13-024.1.JSTOR90008440.S2CID86113359.
- ^Lentz, Joan Easton (November 2005).Introduction to Birds of the Southern California Coast.University of California Press. p. 151.ISBN9780520243217.Retrieved27 December2017.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Wikispecies-logo.svg/34px-Wikispecies-logo.svg.png)
- Marbled Godwit Species Accounty- Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Marbled Godwit -Limosa fedoa- USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- "Marbled Godwit media".Internet Bird Collection.
- Marbled Godwit photo galleryat VIREO (Drexel University)