Black-tailed Godwit

Saltlane

The Black-tailed Godwit is a large elegant wader that overwinters in large flocks on our coastal estuaries and inland wetlands. The Godwits seen here are mainly from Iceland and northern Europe. It is the national bird of the Netherlands.

The two Godwit species that occur in the UK - Black-tailed and Bar-tailed - can be tricky to tell apart. Black-tailed has longer legs (the knee is about halfway down) and its bill is straighter, though these subtleties can be hard to see when it is knee-deep in water and feeding! The dead giveaway is when they fly. Black-tailed Godwits have a white bar on their wings.

In the summer, the male Black-tailed Godwit has a chestnut head and neck. The red colour stops halfway down before reaching its legs. It has a mottled back, a white belly, and a pale stripe eye stripe. The bill is long, straight and orange with a black tip, and its long legs have a long thigh. In winter, it has plain grey upperparts and pale underparts. The female is a muted version of the male, though bigger and heavier, with a noticeably longer beak. The kids look like a scaly winter version of mum. In flight, it has a black tail, a white rump, obvious white wing bars and its legs stick out beyond the tail. Their call is an urgent “weeka weeka weeka”.

Black-tailed Godwits eat insects, larvae, worms, seeds and other plant material by probing with their bill. The longer bill of the female helps her to avoid competing for food with the males and getting into an argument.

Black-tailed Godwits return to their wet meadows or moorland breeding territories in March. Only 50 pairs nest in Britain, mainly on the Ouse washes. They nest in loose colonies and the male performs an aerial display over his territory, where he rises and tumbles in rapid succession. Black-tailed Godwits are mostly monogamous. If the female from the previous year arrives within three days of the male, they will reunite, otherwise he will have a quickie divorce and pair up with a less tardy lady. The male makes several shallow scrapes on the ground, usually hidden in short vegetation. The female chooses one or helps him build a better one. They both incubate the 3-4 eggs which hatch after 22 days. The youngsters can feed themselves but are cared for by both mum and dad. They can fly 30 days later and soon become fully independent. Godwits leave their breeding grounds in July, as soon as the young can fly, and moult soon after arriving at their wintering grounds.

The largest numbers of Black-tailed Godwits occur here in the autumn, where as many as 45,000 come to overwinter. The loss of the wet grasslands they need to breed because of farming changes, overgrazing, and the trampling of nests by livestock is a big problem for the Black-tailed Godwit and it is now Red Listed.

Their Latin name is ’limosa limosa’ from the Latin ’limus’ for ‘mud’. A very muddy wader. The English name ‘Godwit’ is supposedly an imitation of its call, though not a very good one. Alternatively, it could be derived from the Old English ’god whit’, meaning ‘good creature’ as it was tasty to eat.

Bar-tailed Godwit

Saltlane

The Bar-tailed Godwit is another winter visitor, with hundreds of thousands passing through the UK on their way further south. About 43,000 stop here for winter between August and May. It is mainly found in large flocks on sandy estuaries or sheltered bays and is rarely seen inland. A few non-breeding Bar-tailed Godwits stay here all year. Bar-tailed Godwits rarely mix with Black-tailed Godwits as they like sandy as opposed to muddy areas to feed. 

The Bar-tailed Godwit is shorter-legged than the Black-tailed, with a short thigh and a knee joint about a third of the way down. In summer plumage, it has a chestnut head and neck. The red extends past its legs under the tail and its belly is plain. Their back is a scaly brown and the red bill is noticeably up curved with a black tip. The pale eye stripe flares into a triangle behind the eye. In winter, they are streaked scaly grey-brown on their upperparts and paler underneath. When flying, there is no wing bar like a Black-tailed Godwit and their feet, being shorter, don’t stick out as much. They have a white rump and barred tail - giving them their name. They are generally silent, only making a nasal “kirruc kirruc” call when on their breeding grounds.

Bar-tailed Godwits often wade in deep water, feeding on insects, crustaceans, snails, molluscs, and worms by probing with their long bills, often dining with Knots and Dunlins for company. Occasionally, they will eat seeds and berries.

The Bar-tailed Godwit only breeds on the peat bogs and swamps of the high arctic in Scandinavia and Russia. The nest is a scrape on the ground. Dad does the lion’s share of incubating the 3-4 eggs which hatch after 22 days. The youngsters can feed themselves and become independent as soon as they can fly, with the whole family leaving the breeding ground soon afterwards. They do their moult between August and September, often after they have arrived here.

Bar-tailed Godwits are long distant migrants that depend heavily on places to stop for a rest. Many of these areas are being lost to land reclamation, construction of marinas, sea defences, and tourism, so these stopping sites are now being protected. During the winter, Bar-tailed Godwits often commute between the Wash on the east coast and the estuaries of northwest England, sometimes moving back and forth between the two overnight. The oldest ringed Bar-tailed Godwit lived to 26.

Their Latin name is ’limosa lapponica’ where ’limosa’ means ‘muddy’ and ’lapponica' refers to Lapland where it breeds. The English name ‘Godwit’ probably from the Old English ’god whit’, meaning ‘good creature’ as it was tasty to eat. In French, they know it as a ’barge rousse’ from its chestnut plumage.

A Bar-tailed Godwit set the world record for non-stop bird flight when it was tracked flying more than 12,000km from Alaska arriving in New Zealand 11 days later, having flown at speeds of up to 55mph!

Whimbrel

Saltlane

The Whimbrel is similar to the Curlew but has a noticeably stripy head and its bill is thicker and more kinked than curved, like a clown version. The Whimbrel is extremely scarce in winter, mainly passing through in autumn and spring. It is a long haul migrant, breeding in the far north and migrating as far as southern Africa. It is really lucky if you see one at a coastal estuary or marsh.

The Whimbrel is about a third smaller and is darker than the Curlew. It has brown back feathers edged with buff, lined underparts, and a dark head with a pale stripe through the centre of the crown and another above its eye. The bill is thick and kinked and it has short black legs. In flight, like the Curlew, it has a V-shape on its rump and often flies like geese in a V-formation. Their call is an eerie series of seven rippling “pe pe pe pe pe pe pe” whistles. Because of this, the Whimbrel is sometimes called the ‘seven whistler’. They also have a bubbling call similar to a Curlew’s.

Whimbrels eat insects, snails, worms, berries and small marine creatures, including crabs and shrimps, by picking and probing with their big bill.

Nearly all of the 300 British breeding Whimbrel pairs can be found on the Orkney islands and the numbers have been slowly increasing. They like to breed on open country and upland bogs, nesting amongst short vegetation. Unlike the Curlew, mum builds the nest. Both parents take it in turns to incubate the 3-4 eggs which hatch after 27 days. The young can feed themselves and are cared for by mum and dad, who are very defensive of their nesting area and will even attack humans who come too close. The youngsters can fly at 25 days, soon becoming independent. Whimbrels do a partial moult before moving from their breeding grounds in July, keeping their wing feathers as they move rapidly south during August and September to their wintering grounds.

About 3,000 Whimbrels pass along our coasts during migration. Climate change, habitat destruction and outbreaks of Avian Flu have badly impacted them, and they are now specially protected. The oldest ringed Whimbrel lived to 16.

Their Latin name is ’numenius phaeopus’ where ’numenius’ is from the Ancient Greek ’noumenios’ derived from ’neos’ for ‘new’ and ’mene’ for ‘moon’, referring to the crescent-shaped bill, and the ’phaeopus’ is from ’phaios’ for ‘dusky’ and ’pous’ for ‘foot’, referring to their dark feet and legs. The English name ‘Whimbrel’ is an imitation of the bird’s call. Apart from the Whimbrel and Curlew here, there are six other species of Curlews in the world, two of which - the Eskimo Curlew of North America and the Slender-billed Curlew of Eastern Europe - may now, sadly, be extinct.

Curlew

Saltlane

The spooky, lonely, bubbling “curloo-oo” call of the Curlew can be heard on winter estuaries and summer moors. It is what gives the Curlew its name. It is our largest wader and has a distinctive long down-curved bill. Curlews breed in Scotland and even more arrive here to overwinter. Not to be confused with the Whimbrel, which is rarer, smaller and has a more stripy head.

The Curlew is grey-brown with darker streaks, a plain head, straw-coloured legs and that long, elegant, down-curved bill. The female’s bill is longer than the male’s. In flight, they have a pale V-shape on their rump and the outer wing feathers are darker than the rest. The flight is fast and like a Gull.

Curlews feed on worms, crabs and other marine insects, caught by probing. They eat most food whole and regurgitate indigestible bits as pellets.

About 65,000 Curlews breed in Britain from the Pennines northwards. They like to nest on rough grasslands, moorlands and bogs. The male marks his territory with an undulating display flight ending in a parachute glide. He will make several scrapes on the ground. The female chooses one and lines it to her satisfaction. The clever Curlew often builds its nest close to a Kestrel’s, as the Kestrel will see off any predators like foxes. In April or May, 2-5 eggs are laid and hatch after 27 days. The youngsters feed themselves and are cared for by both parents. They can fly after 32 days. Mum usually clears off before the kids can fly, leaving them with dad as she needs a well-earned break from all that child-rearing. Dad and the kids follow later.

Most British breeding Curlews head to southern Europe for winter, being replaced by large flocks of Curlews from Scandinavia. As many as 150,000 pairs overwinter here, mainly on the coast. The overall number of Curlews is falling because of the loss of breeding grounds by drainage or forest planting. In the last twenty years, the number of Curlews has halved. Farmers are now helping through stewardship schemes to protect the breeding sites. The UK breeding population of Curlews is of international importance and they have been added to the Red List, the highest priority for conservation. The oldest known Curlew lived to 31 years old.

Their Latin name is ’numenius arquata’ where ’numenius’ is from the Ancient Greek ’neos’ for ‘new’ and ’mene’ for ‘moon’, referring to their crescent-shaped bill, and ’arquata’ is derived from the Latin ’arcuatus’ meaning ‘bow-shaped’, again referring to the shape of the bill. In Scotland, Curlews are also known as ‘the whaup’.

Spoonbill

Saltlane

It is pretty obvious why we call them Spoonbills. They have a huge spatula-shaped bill. Each year, we get a small number (50-80 pairs) breeding in Britain, mainly on coastal marshes and reedbeds. They arrive in May and leave again in August for a warmer winter in southern Europe, though a few can overwinter here.

The Spoonbill is slightly smaller than a Grey Heron. It is white with a short shaggy crest, a long black spoon-shaped bill with a yellow tip, and thick black legs. It can have a yellow band on its breast when in breeding plumage. Youngsters have black tips on their wings. In flight, they hold their necks and long bills out front and trail their feet out the back, giving them a distinctive profile compared to Herons, Egrets, Swans, and Geese. Spoonbills are mainly silent, only doing some bill snapping at their nests. While sleeping during the day, they annoyingly tuck their bills along their backs, making them difficult to see, their thick black legs being the only giveaway.

Spoonbills feed together in groups on open water, often in the dark and seldom mixing with other birds, as they are shy and don’t want anyone to make fun of their strange bills. They feed by sweeping their bills from side to side, filtering tiny creatures out of the water. The moment any small creature touches the inside of their bill, it is snapped tightly shut. They eat insects, larvae, snails, small fish, amphibians and plants. Because of the tiny size of their food, they need to feed for many hours each day.

They occasionally breed in Norfolk and Yorkshire, nesting in colonies with nests so close together they can be touching. Members of the colony will gang together to drive predators away. The scruffy nest is a pile of reeds and twigs on the ground. The colony’s egg-laying is synchronised so the chicks hatch at about the same time and can be cared for by all the parents in the colony. Mum lays  2-4 eggs which hatch after 24 days. The youngsters can fly at 24 days but are fed by their parents for 10 weeks. 

In Europe, Spoonbills experienced a significant decrease between 1960 and 1990, but since then they have recovered and there are now estimated to be about 29,000 mature birds. The decrease in numbers was caused by a combination of DDT poisoning (which is now banned) and the drainage of marshes leading to the loss of breeding grounds. Spoonbills are now specially protected and the conservation of marshes has helped them.

Their Latin name is ’platalea leucorodia’ where ’platalea’ is from the Ancient Greek meaning ‘broad’, and  ’leucorodia’ is from  ’leukerodios’ for ‘spoonbill’, combination of ’leukos’ for ‘white’ and ’erodios’ for ‘heron’. In England, it was traditionally known as the ‘shovelard’, a name that was later used for the Shoveler duck instead.

Great White Egret

Saltlane

The Great White Egret, often just called a Great Egret, is a recent newcomer to Britain though spreading rapidly. It is found on wet meadows and lakes and is mainly a winter visitor. As its name suggests, the Great White Egret is a large, white heron. They can look similar to Little Egrets, but they are much, much bigger.

The Great White Egret is similar in size to a Grey Heron. It is all white with black legs and feet, and a long yellow dagger bill. Confusingly, they can have a black bill when breeding. Like the Little Egret, they have wispy breeding plumes over their back, but as it mainly breeds elsewhere, we rarely see these. The flight is slow and ponderous with their necks retracted. This is characteristic of Herons and Bitterns and makes them easy to tell apart from Storks, Cranes, and Spoonbills, which stick their necks out. The rarely heard call is a rippling, deep rattling “brrrrrr”.

Their main food is fish, insects and frogs. They stand in shallow water, patiently waiting for a meal to approach, then spear it with their long, sharp bill.

The Somerset Levels were home to the UK’s first breeding pair of Great White Egrets in 2012, though they mainly breed in colonies elsewhere. The nests are made in trees close to a large lake with reedbeds or other large wetlands. 

They don’t start breeding until they are 2–3 years old and form a monogamous pair each season. The male selects a suitable tree, starts a nest, and then uses it to attract a female. The nest is made of sticks and lined with plant material and can be up to 3 feet across! Up to six bluish-green eggs are carefully laid and both parents incubate the eggs for 23–26 days. Once hatched, mum and dad feed the youngsters by regurgitating (sicking up) food. They can fly after 6–7 weeks, no doubt relieved to be able to feed themselves and leave the tree.

Great White Egrets can appear in almost any part of the UK, though they are most frequently found in southeast England and East Anglia. About 200 overwinter here. Like the Little Egret, the Great White Egret was once persecuted for its beautiful long-white breeding plumes, which were used in ladies’ hats. In the United States, they were almost wiped out completely during the late 1800s. Those dastardly Victorians!

Their Latin name is ’ardrea alba’ where ’ardea’ is Latin for ‘heron’ and ’alba’ is ‘white’. It has several local names such as ‘common egret’, ‘large egret’, or ‘great white heron’. They are found throughout the world with four subspecies in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.

Whooper Swan

Saltlane

Unlike the Mute Swan (which doesn’t make a sound), the Whooper Swan lets rip with a low, usually three-note, “wup wup wup” bugle call in flight, hence its name. Despite their size, they are powerful fliers and can be found on flooded fields near water. They arrive here in the autumn from much further north. Where a Mute Swan has an orange bill, the Whooper’s is bright yellow, making them easy to tell apart.

The Whooper Swan is mainly white with sometimes rusty marks on its neck. It has a black bill with a big yellow wedge extending beyond its nostrils. It holds its neck upright when alert. Their tail is square and particularly visible when they upend to feed.

Whooper Swans are veggies,  eating mainly plants found in fields and water, often forming large flocks where there is plenty of food. It is not uncommon to see twenty or more together.

Whooper Swans don’t start breeding until they are 4-5 years old. They pair for life and sing trumpeting duets when courting with lots of head bobbing. Their breeding grounds are mainly in Iceland and northern Europe, though some occasionally nest in Scotland. The nest is built from a mound of reeds on boggy ground near pools or lakes. The 3-5 eggs hatch after 35 days and the youngsters can fly 80 days later. Both parents tend the young and the family group stays and feeds together for their first winter. Like many birds, mum and dad are flightless for several weeks during their moult after breeding.

About three-quarters of the Icelandic Whooper Swans overwinter here with 15,000 staying between November and March. In the spring, they then fly non-stop from Scotland back to Iceland. During this migration, they can travel at very high altitudes. A pilot flying at 8,000 feet once reported seeing a flock of swans that were thought to be Whoopers! Whooper Swans require large areas of water to live in, especially when they are still growing because their legs can not support their body weight for a long time. The main threats to them are collisions with overhead power lines and poisoning from lead shot. 

Their Latin name is ’cygnus cygnus’ where ’cygnus’ means ‘swan’. A double swan to remind you how big they are. Another swan, the Bewick Swan, looks similar to a Whooper in that it also has a yellow beak. However, in the Bewick’s, the yellow only comes halfway down and, overall, it is smaller than the big Whooper.

Goosander

Saltlane

The Goosander is a relative newcomer that first bred in Britain in 1871. This handsome diving duck is a member of the sawbill family, so called because of their long, serrated bills, used for catching fish. Its long streamlined body is perfectly shaped for swimming. They are gregarious birds, forming flocks of thousands in some parts of Europe. Over winter, they are mainly seen on lakes and reservoirs. 

The male Goosander has a white body with a green head and black back. The female has a grey body with a reddish head, well-defined white throat and grey neck. Both have thin red hook-tipped sawbills, bright legs and dark eyes. They often fly close to the water and look long-bodied with white wing patches and black wing tips. To rise from the water, they flap along the surface for many yards. Once airborne, their flight is strong and rapid. Goosanders are mainly silent, only growling when disturbed or uttering a soft whistle during courtship. 

The Goosander is mainly a freshwater bird. They swim low in the water, repeatedly dipping their heads underwater searching for food. They will feed in a group forming a semi-circle to drive the fish into shallow water where they dive to catch them, using the tooth-like serrations on their sawbill for grip. Their main food is fish like young salmon, trout and eels, though they will also eat small mammals and insects. 

Goosanders breed on northern upland or hilly wooded areas close to rivers and lakes. Courting starts in winter with lots of bowing and stretching. Mum and dad then build a nest made of duck down in a hole in a tree or amongst rocks. Mum lays 8-11 eggs which hatch after 30 days and one day later, the ducklings jump from the nest, which can be as high as 18m! Once on the ground, the youngsters can feed themselves. Mum keeps an eye on them and will carry the kids on her back if there is any danger. The family may join up with other family groups for greater safety. The youngsters can finally fly after 60 days. In late summer, mum and dad are flightless while they do their 4-week moult.

About 3,500 pairs breed here, mainly in northern Britain, though they are slowly spreading south. British breeding birds stay here all year and the numbers swell to 12,000 in winter as they are joined by Goosanders from northern Europe. Their love of salmon and trout has brought them into conflict with grumpy fishermen. Overall, the Goosander is not threatened, though illegal persecution is a problem in some areas. A Goosander can live for 9 years or more.

Their Latin name is ’mergus merganser’ where ’mergus’ was used by Pliny and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird, and ’merganser’ is a combination of ’mergus’ and ’anser’ , the Latin for ‘goose’. A goose-like waterbird. The English name Goosander is a combination of goose and ’ander’ from ’bergander’ an old name for a Shelduck. Why the obsession with a goose when it is smaller than a Shelduck and doesn’t really look like a goose is a mystery.

Goldeneye

Saltlane

Goldeneye

The Goldeneye is a scuba diving duck that can hold its breath for a heck of a long time. It is mainly a winter visitor arriving in late August and leaving again in March, although a few now stay over the summer and nest in Scotland. During the winter, small groups of Goldeneyes are mainly found on the coast, on large inland lakes and reservoirs. They get their name from their beautiful golden eyes, which are really hard to see. 

Goldeneye male

The male Goldeneye has a white body with a dark green head, a black back and black and white stripes along his sides. He has a big white spot on his cheek, which is much easier to notice than his golden eye. The female is grey with a brown head, white collar and white marks on her wings. Young males resemble mum but with the white spot on their cheeks. They all have dark bills. When flying, Goldeneyes have an inner white wing patch and black wing tips. They are fast fliers and their wings ‘whistle’ as they fly. Goldeneyes are mainly silent, only growling during courtship.

They often forage in flocks, diving simultaneously to find molluscs, crustaceans and insect larvae, by turning stones underwater. They will also eat plants like pondweed. 

Goldeneye female

Goldeneyes are aggressive, territorial ducks with an elaborate courtship display. When females are nearby, the males frequently display by stretching their heads backwards against their backs to expose their white breasts, then popping their heads forward and growling a loud, double whistle sound that can be heard up to a kilometre away! The ladies like a good growler, and pairs get together within the winter flocks. By April, the happy couples have moved north to nest in conifer forests beside lakes and rivers. Their nest is usually a hole in a tree, though they will also use nest boxes. Initially, dad will defend his territory for a week or so then he abandons mum to do the incubation all on her own. The 8-11 pale green-blue eggs hatch after 29 days. A day later, the young chicks jump from the nest and mum takes them to a rearing area where they can swim and dive. The youngsters feed themselves and can fly at 57 days, soon becoming fully independent.  

About 200 Goldeneye pairs nest in northern Britain with 30,000 more coming here to overwinter. Goldeneyes first nested in Speyside, Scotland as recently as 1970. 

Their Latin name is ’bucephala clangula’ where ’bucephala’ means ‘bull-headed’ from the Ancient Greek ’boukephalos’ derived from ’bous’ for ‘bull’ and ’kephale’ for’ head’, and refers to its strange head shape. The ’clangula’ is from the Latin  ’clangere’ ‘to resound’ as the Goldeneye’s call is so loud.

Pintail

Saltlane

Pintail

The Pintail is an elegant long-necked duck that has, as its name suggests, a pointed 'pin' tail. It is quite a shy duck of wild places and is mainly a winter visitor from Iceland. It can be seen posing on estuaries, inland wetlands and shallow reservoirs.

Pintail male

The male has a grey body, a long pointed black tail, white breast and brown head with a white stripe running down his neck. The female is a more Mallard-like mottled brown. Both their bills are grey. In flight, they show their long neck and tail with a white trailing edge to their wings. The male's call is a soft, whistling "proop-proop", similar to that of the Teal, whereas the female has a nagging "quack".

Like all dabbling ducks, Pintails feed at the surface rather than diving for their food. They eat a variety of plants when dabbling, picking from the surface or the bottom of deeper water by up-ending. Their long neck can reach food other dabbling ducks can't. During the breeding season, they will add insects and molluscs to their diet.

Pintail female

Both sexes reach sexual maturity after one year. It is rare for Pintails to breed in Britain with fewer than 30 pairs recorded in northern Scotland. The male courts the female by swimming close to her with his head lowered and tail raised, continually whistling. If there are a group of males, they will chase the female in flight until only one is left. The pair make their nest, a hollow lined with leaves, grass and down, close to open water amongst tall grass or rushes. Mum lays 7-9 eggs from April which hatch after 22 days. Soon after hatching, the young can swim and feed themselves. They can fly 40 days later. Dad leaves mum to do all the parenting and flies off to a traditional moulting area. Mum joins him once the kids have fledged. They are both flightless while they do their 4-week moult between July and September before moving south. At best, only a third of the kids will live long enough to breed themselves as the young chicks are vulnerable to predators such as foxes, crows, magpies and birds of prey.

The small breeding population and significant 30,000 overwintering population make them Amber Listed. Their preferred habitat of shallow water is naturally susceptible to problems such as drought and might be increasingly threatened by climate change. In addition, the draining of wetlands for farming has impacted their breeding areas and the sowing of spring crops means nests are often accidentally destroyed. The oldest Pintail lived to be 27, though normally they only live for about 3 years.

Their Latin name is 'anas acuta' from the Latin 'anas' meaning 'duck' and 'acuta' from the verb 'acuere' 'to sharpen' which, like the English name, refers to its pointy tail.