The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Godwits

(Limosa), a genus of birds of the subfamily Limosa of the order Charadriiformes. Rusty tones predominate in their coloring. There are four species, distributed in Europe, Asia, and North America. The black-tailed godwit (L. limosa) and the bar-tailed godwit (L. lapponica) live in the USSR. They are migratory birds, wintering in Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. The black-tailed godwit (length, 39-40 cm; weight, 250-360 g) inhabits primarily the forest-steppe from Estonia east to Altai, in East Siberia, and on the Anadyr and Ussuri rivers. It nests predominantly in small colonies in swamps and wet meadows. The bar-tailed godwit inhabits the tundra from Scandinavia to Chukotka.

REFERENCE

Kozlova, E. V. “Kuliki.” In Fauna SSSR: Ptitsy, vol. 2, no. 1, part 3. Moscow-Leningrad, 1962.

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References in periodicals archive

"The population of little egret are believed to have increased because of milder winters, while the black-tailed godwit, which migrate from Iceland, are thought to be increasing because of subtle changes in farming there, possibly linked to climate change."

Study shows changes in numbers of birds visiting

But other species like the little egret and black-tailed godwit are arriving in Wales in ever greater numbers.

Climate change brings fluctuation fortunes for the wide variety of birdlife that visits our shores

Black-tailed godwits are a relatively new arrival but have risen from a few hundred in the 1980s to about 6,000 now.

We're still counting on Wales' own bird paradise; Wetland Bird Survey's 30 years on Dee Estuary

It is not all bad news however, with numbers of little egrets, pink-footed geese, gadwall and black-tailed godwit all reaching record levels.

Warmer winters cut bird numbers

The Lindisfarne reserve is internationally important for grey plover, knot, turnstone and bar-tailed godwit, while around 5,000 waders use the Tyne estuary with redshank, golden plover and lapwing prominent.

Island paradise for the waders

"And we recently saw a really beautiful black-tailed godwit, which is probably Icelandic" he said.

Flying high!

GET SPOTTING today and tomorrow binocular and telescope demos, RSPB Conwy, 10am-4pm (01492 584091) tomorrow Godwit Spectacular at RSPB Oakenholt Marsh, 9.30am.

bird notes

The range includes some less often heard songs from the likes of the Arctic tern, yellowhammer, coal tit, and black-tailed godwit.

Call up a nightingale or thrush by mobile phone

There may be good reasons and bad both for and against the building of the highly controversial high-speed rail link, but the suggestion that the plan could be stalled, or even abandoned, because of the rights of the wading bird, the godwit, surely cannot be valid?

Cameron must take a tough line on these miscreants for disloyalty