Bar-tailed Godwits

Five bar-tailed godwits were recently observed together at Pulicat Lake by a naturalist, marking a rare and notable sighting.

About Bar-tailed Godwit

• Bar-tailed godwits are migratory shorebirds celebrated for their exceptional endurance during migration.
• Scientific Name: Limosa lapponica
• Distribution: They are found across Northern Europe, Asia, western Alaska, Africa, the Persian Gulf, India, southeast Asia, China, and Australia.
• Breeding Grounds: These birds breed in the Arctic region.
• In India: Wintering populations of bar-tailed godwits are distributed across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Migration Pattern: These birds exhibit unique physiological adaptations to sustain their long flights, such as shrinking their digestive organs to conserve energy and losing nearly half their body weight during migration.
• Behavior: Bar-tailed godwits display bold and aggressive behavior at their breeding grounds, often engaging in territorial disputes.
• Their calls are onomatopoeic, resembling the sound “godwit, godwit.”
• Conservation Status: According to the IUCN Red List, it is classified as Near Threatened.

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About Pulicat Lake

• Pulicat Lake is the second-largest brackish water ecosystem in India, following Chilika Lake in Odisha.
• The lake receives inflow from the Arani River at its southern tip, the Kalangi River from the northwest, and the Swarnamukhi River at its northern end.
• Pulicat Lake runs parallel to the Bay of Bengal, featuring a sandbar that makes it a unique lagoon ecosystem.
• Location: It is situated on the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, lying mostly within Andhra Pradesh on the Barricade Island of Sriharikota.
• Pulicat Bird Sanctuary: The sanctuary is a habitat for various bird species, including flamingos, grey pelicans, painted storks, and kingfishers.