Lesson 8: Godwits & Curlews Flashcards
Learn to confidently identify North America's biggest shorebirds with bizarrely large and shaped bills: Hudsonian Godwit, Marbled Godwit, Long-billed Curlew, and Whimbrel.
What is the largest shorebird in North America?
Long-billed Curlew
And the largest shorebird in the world designation goes to the Far Eastern Curlew, which looks very similar to North America’s Long-billed Curlew but is even bigger than this goose-sized shorebird!
How many species of godwit nest in North America, south of Alaska, and what are they?
Two
Image credit: JJ Harrison (left) and Derek Keats (right)
There are four godwit species in the world.
What are the two most widespread species of curlew found in North America?
Image credit: Mike Baird (top) and Pierre Dalous (bottom)
There are eight curlew species in the world.
Bristle-thighed Curlew are found in the furthest reaches of western Alaska, on the Seward Peninsula.
Hudsonian Godwit
Breeding plumage
The Hudsonian Godwit is the smaller of the two godwit species that nest in North America, although they are still large shorebirds and quite conspicuous when foraging with their very long, slightly upturned bills.
In the breeding season, male Hudsonian Godwit (right) develop dark reddish underparts with scattered barring. They also show a pale eyebrow stripe and face with dark speckled back. Females (left) look similar, although they are less intensely colored.
What bird is this?
Marbled Godwit
Breeding plumage
A large shorebird with long legs and a very long, slightly upturned bill that transitions from dark to pink towards the base.
The plumage is pale orange-brown with extensive, fine barring on the chest and belly during the breeding season. The back is dark with pale spots and barring.
What bird is this?
Long-billed Curlew
Long-billed Curlew are the largest shorebird in North America—about the size of a small goose—and are unmistakable with their extremely long, down-curved bill.
Also note the lovely tawny cinnamon color. This sets them apart from the Whimbrel, another shorebird with a curved bill, which is speckled brown-gray all over.
What bird is this?
Whimbrel
These are large shorebirds—larger than a Greater Yellowlegs—with a distinctive long neck, long legs, and long, down-curved bill that is significantly shorter than that of a Long-billed Curlew. Also note the boldly striped eye and crown, which Long-billed Curlew do not have.
What TWO changes does the Marbled Godwit undergo between the breeding and non-breeding seasons?
In the non-breeding season
1. It loses its fine barring on the chest and sides.
2. The colored part of the bi-colored bill changes from deeper orange-pink to lighter pink.
Which THREE clues can you use to distinguish between a Hudsonian and Marbled Godwit in non-breeding plumage?
Hudsonian Godwit
1. Are brown-gray and white (Marbled Godwit are buffy).
2. Are, on average, two-thirds the size of a Marbled Godwit.
3. In flight, they show white uppertail coverts, which contrast distinctly with their black tails.
What bird is this?
Marbled Godwit
Non-breeding plumage
In winter, Marbled Godwits mostly remain the same buffy color with a heavily barred and spotted back but they become more orangey-buff AND lose the fine barring on the chest and belly.
Otherwise, note the very long, slightly upturned, bi-colored bill and their overall size. Marbled Godwits are large shorebirds; on average, they are larger than oystercatchers!
Hudsonian Godwit
Non-breeding plumage
In non-breeding plumage, Hudsonian Godwit lose their barring and become gray-brown above and unmarked, creamy-white below. Considering Marbled Godwit’s buffy-cinammon winter plumage—not to mention their size—it can actually be easier to tell these two species apart in the non-breeding season.
What bird is this?
Whimbrel
Note the long, down-curved bill, bold eye and crown stripes, and pale eyebrow stripe.
Whimbrel use their curved bills to probe under rocks and into the burrows of crabs and other invertebrates in the intertidal zone. But because they inhabit a variety of coastal and inland habitats, they will also eat berries, insects, and flowers.
What bird is this?
Long-billed Curlew
The upperparts are streaked and barred, while beneath, they are a pale cinnamon brown. Their plumage does not change between the seasons.
Unlike the similar-looking (although smaller) Whimbrel, the crown is not striped and the bill is much longer.
Which FOUR clues can help you distinguish between a Long-billed Curlew and a Whimbrel?
Both have long, curved bills but Long-billed Curlew
1. Have even longer bills.
2. Are larger overall.
3. Have a plain face and crown.
4. Are cinnamon colored under the wings, not barred and spotted like the Whimbrel.
True or false?
A Whimbrel’s diet includes berries, insects, and flowers.
True!
Whimbrel use their long, curved bills to probe under rocks and invade the burrows of invertebrates in the intertidal zone but, in the breeding season, they will also forage for berries, insects, and flowers.
What TWO birds are these?
Long-billed Curlew (front), Marbled Godwit (back)
These two shorebirds may look quite similar. Just look at their cinnamon colored plumage, extensive barring on the back, and similarly-colored bills! Thankfully, their remarkably different bill shapes immediately dispatch with any confusion. The Long-billed Curlew has a down-curved bill, while the Marbled Godwit has a slightly upturned bill.
What bird is this?
Whimbrel
Without any distinct plumage to catch the eye, size and shape become important for identifying Whimbrel in flight.
Thankfully, that long, curved bill narrows your choice down to Whimbrel and Long-billed Curlew. Whimbrel are smaller in size, have a much shorter bill, and are brown-gray under the wing, NOT buffy cinnamon brown.
What bird is this?
Marbled Godwit
Breeding plumage
Note the long, robust, slightly upturned bill (bi-colored), overall cinnamon to buffy plumage with fine barring, and lack of any contrasting color under the wing (as is the case with Hudsonian Godwit).
Hudsonian Godwit
Breeding plumage
Hudsonian Godwits are quite striking in their reddish breeding plumage. Note the white face and strong white eyebrow.
In flight, they also show very long, thin, pointed wings. They have bold white wing stripes, black underwing linings and auxiliaries, a white rump, and black tail. All of this creates a strong contrast that Marbled Godwits lack with their buffy, barred plumage.
