Probes into sand or mud with its long bill for aquatic invertebrates. See more images of this species in Macaulay Library. A large and heavily built the godwit, with a long, slightly upturned, bi-color bill and rich brown overall coloring, the Marbled Godwit, breeds inland in northern wetlands and prairies and winters along the coasts. Sibley, D. A. Marbled Godwits are social, nesting in semi-colonial groups with no real territorial boundaries.They are a fall and early spring migrant in Tennessee, often found walking and probing the mudflats near shallow pools and ponds. Social outside of the breeding season; forages in groups and also with Willets, Whimbrels, and Long-billed Curlews. Once paired, they form monogamous bonds for the breeding season. This big cinnamon-colored sandpiper inhabits the northern Great Plains in summer. Both Sexes; Length: 16.5-18.9 in (42-48 cm) Weight: 10.1-16.0 oz (285-454 g) Wingspan: 27.6-31.9 in (70-81 cm) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, USA. In flight its legs stick out beyond the tail. On average, it is the largest of the 4 species of godwit. The marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa) is a large shorebird. They don't seem to mind getting their belly wet and will forage in water up to 5 inches deep. Tall shorebird with a long, slightly upturned bicolored bill. crow-sized Measurements. In North Dakota for example, average territory size has been measured at more than 200 acres. The estimated global breeding population is 170,000 according to Partners in Flight. black tail with white stripe on the base, white rump, long, pointed slightly upturned light pink bill with black tip. Dynamic map of Marbled Godwit eBird observations in Tennessee, Best places to see in Tennessee: Rankin WMA, Duck River Unit- Tennessee NWR, Reelfoot Lake area. Explore Birds of the World to learn more. In flight, note the cinnamon underwings year-round. A small round head sits atop a thin neck. Chest is buffy and plain in winter. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online. The Sibley Guide to Birds. Smaller than a Long-billed Curlew with a long, slightly upturned bill. Relative Size. The total length is 40–50 cm (16–20 in), including a large bill of 8–13 cm (3.1–5.1 in), and wingspan is 70–88 cm (28–35 in). Avian Conservation Assessment Database. These webpages contain four different types of browse maps and other visualizations of the tracking data. Gratto-Trevor, Cheri L. (2000). The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA. Marbled Godwits nest on the ground in shortgrass prairies, often far from water and with little overhead plant cover. Diet: Insects, crabs, worms, aquatic plant tubers, small fish, leeches and small mollusks. Marbled Godwits have large territories that include both feeding and nesting areas. Weight: 13 oz. Nonbreeding birds have unstreaked cinnamon washed underparts. The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition. In flight, note cinnamon washed underwings. They don't spend the nonbreeding season together, but males and females frequently return to the same area to breed year after year and often breed with the same mate. Marbled Godwits are common and their populations remained stable between 1966 and 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA. Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa), version 2.0. They fly with their head slightly pulled in with their feet trailing behind and have a rather sharp profile that includes slender, pointed wings. Breeds in short grassy areas, marshes, and flooded plains. In San Francisco, California, for example, tidal mudflats have been reduced from around 20,000 acres to about 12,000 acres from 1800 to 2000. Marbled Godwits eat aquatic invertebrates, earthworms, insects, aquatic plant tubers, leeches, and small fish. )), slightly upturned bill. 2017. When it leaves the prairies, the Marbled Godwit goes to coastal regions and becomes quite gregarious. During migration and on the wintering grounds, found on mudflats, salt ponds, beaches, estuaries, and wetlands. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966–2015.