Overview

Family - Sandpipers and allies (Scolopacidae).

The black-tailed godwit is a large wading bird with a very long straight bill and long legs. In flight it shows a white wing-stripe and a black and white tail. It has suffered a large breeding population decline in the past and is now a rare breeder. It is a summer visitor to its breeding grounds, wintering in Africa. Birds from northern Europe spend the winter on UK coasts.