Hudsonian godwit

Scientific name: Limosa haemastica

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Medium-large wading bird with long, slightly upturned bill; breeding males show rich chestnut-red underparts and dark upperparts, while females are duller brown. Both sexes display white rump and dark-tipped wings in flight.

Size and weight

Adults weigh 190–340 g, with body length of 37–42 cm; females average slightly larger than males.

Habitat

Hudsonian godwits occupy open tundra, wet meadows, and marshy grasslands across northern breeding grounds, preferring areas near water bodies and coastal wetlands during migration and wintering.

Distribution

Breeds on Arctic and subarctic tundra from Alaska through northern Canada; migrates through central North America and concentrates in coastal wetlands of Gulf of Mexico and northern South America; rare vagrant to western regions.

Diet

Forages on invertebrates including aquatic insects, amphipods, and small crustaceans in soft mud and shallow water; also takes small fish and plant matter seasonally.

Behaviour

Highly migratory and gregarious, flying in flocks during spring and fall passage; most active at dawn and dusk, probing and gleaning in shallow water with characteristic rapid pecking motions.

Hunting tips

Glass open water edges and mudflats at dawn and dusk when birds are actively feeding. Approach upwind across open ground using terrain contours and vegetation for cover, as godwits are wary and flush readily. Listen for sharp flight calls and watch for characteristic rapid wing beats and direct flight patterns when locating flocks.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 1 country in Huntify.

Barbados

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.