Common name: Bar-tailed Godwit
Scientific name: Limosa lapponica
Family: Scolopacidae

Size:
Body length: 37–41 cm
Wingspan: 70–80 cm
Weight: 190–630 g (females larger; heaviest before migration)

Identification:
A large, elegant wader with long legs and a slightly upcurved bill. In breeding plumage, males show a rich rufous coloration extending from the face to the underparts, while females are duller and more mottled. In non-breeding plumage, both sexes appear grey-brown above and pale below. The tail shows distinctive fine barring, giving the species its name. In flight, it displays a white rump and a relatively plain wing pattern.

Habitat:
Coastal mudflats, estuaries, tidal lagoons, and sandy shores. During migration and winter, it frequents intertidal zones rich in invertebrate life.

Status in the UAE:
Common passage migrant and winter visitor. Regularly recorded along coastlines, mudflats, and wetlands.

Diet:
Carnivorous — feeds mainly on worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and other invertebrates, probing deep into mud with its long bill.

Behavior:
Often seen in flocks, especially during migration and winter. Feeds methodically by probing mud and sand. Known for its extraordinary long-distance migrations, including the longest non-stop flight recorded for any bird: about 13,500 km from Alaska to Australia.

Conservation status:
Near Threatened (IUCN Red List)