Black-tailed Godwit

The Black-tailed Godwit is a large, graceful bird with very long legs and a long, straight bill. In its breeding colours, it has a striking reddish head, neck, and chest, while in winter it looks grey-brown on top and pale underneath. When flying, you can easily recognise it by the bold white bar on its wings and its black tail with a white base. It stands about forty centimetres tall, making it noticeably bigger than most other wading birds. This bird breeds in wet grasslands and marshes across Iceland, mainland Europe, and into Asia, with small numbers nesting in Britain. During winter and migration, groups gather on estuaries, coastal lagoons, and flooded meadows, especially around the Wash, the Severn Estuary, and southern Ireland. They feed by probing deeply into soft mud for small creatures, often wading with their bodies submerged in shallow water.