Black-tailed godwit

    Limosa limosa

Castilian: Aguja colinegra

Catalan: Tètol cuanegre

Gallego: Mazarico rabinegro

Euskera: Kuliska buztanbeltza

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Migratory status: Winter resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Vulnerable”.

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THREATS

The destruction of its habitat due to wetland drainage, agricultural intensification and the transformation of salt marshes into other kinds of marine agriculture especially affect this bird. Human disturbances during breeding and hunting season are also significant.

Length / size: 37-42 cm / 63-74 cm

Identification: Large wader with long, black legs and a very long, orange bill with a black tip. During mating season, the male's head, neck and breast are orange, his belly is light, his flanks are barred and his back is black and brown, forming a complex pattern. The female is similar in appearance but with duller colours. Plumage is mostly greyish during the rest of the year. In flight its black tail with white at the base is observable, as well as its white transverse stripe.

Song: In flight it makes a fast, nasal "vee vee ve" sound.

Diet: It feeds on invertebrates that it captures by sinking its bill into the silt. From time to time it also consumes plant matter.

Reproduction: It begins in mid-April. The nest is located in a depression in the ground and the bird covers it with plant matter. Both sexes are responsible for incubating the eggs and caring for the chicks.

HABITAT

During breeding season it prefers wet areas with shallow waters and short vegetation. In winter it is found in marshes, interior wetlands, rice fields, salt marshes and estuaries.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: When wintering it is distributed throughout the Bay of Cádiz, the Ebro Delta, and the Guadalquivir marshes. And as a passing migrant it appears in the high meadows near the River Guadiana (Cáceres and Badajoz).

In Castile and León: When wintering, it is primarily found in Villafáfila (Zamora). In passage, it appears in all the provinces, but the most important locations are La Nava Lake (Palencia), Villafáfila (Zamora) and the Ebro Swamp (Burgos).

Movements and migrations: Specimens arrive to the peninsula between July and April, during winter and the migratory passages. In summer, some specimens do not return to their breeding areas.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 11000-61000 wintering individuals.

In Castile and León: