Black-tailed godwit sighted in Erode
The Hindu
Rare Black-tailed godwit sighted in Erode district, a long-legged shorebird categorized as 'Near Threatened' by IUCN.
The Black-tailed godwit, that was categorised as ‘Near Threatened’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, was sighted for the first time in Erode district at Elathur in Gobichettipalayam here recently.
Birders Maheswaran Deivasigamani and Sundara Manikkam of Gobichettipalayam sighted the bird at a waterbody and recorded it. The long-legged and long-billed shorebird is a member of the godwit genus, Limosa.
The species breeds from Iceland through Europe and Siberia. During winter, the species migrates to various countries including the Indian subcontinent, Australia and West Africa, said the birders who added that it is a long-distance migrant bird. The bird is usually found in land and in freshwater and is the national bird of the Netherlands. While the males weigh around 280 grams, females weigh 340 grams.