Bar-tailed Godwit (baueri) - profile

Indicative distribution

Loading map...

Key:

known

predicted

The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas. ( click here to see geographic restrictions). The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.

Scientific name: Limosa lapponica baueri

Conservation status in NSW: Endangered

Commonwealth status: Vulnerable

Gazetted date: 29 Nov 2024

Profile last updated: 29 Nov 2024

Description

A large long-necked wader (up to 39 cm) with a distinctive very long and upturned bill which is dark with a pinkish base. The head has a distinct brown eye-stripe bordered above by a white to off-white band extending past the eye. The crown and upper parts are pale brownish-grey narrowly streaked black and white. The under body is white with a pale brownish wash and fine dark streaks on the breast. In flight the upper wing is greyish-brown with dark brown and off-white streaks. In spring or autumn individuals may be in full or part breeding plumage where the head, neck and underparts are mostly rufous brown with black streaks on sides of breast and some wing and mantle feathers are strongly patterned rufous-brown and buff. Identified from the Black-tailed Godwit by the upturned bill, larger size, striped and scalloped neck and underparts and in flight the lack of conspicuous white wing bar and white rump stripe.

Distribution

The Bar-tailed Godwit is a migratory wader which undertakes the largest non-stop flight of any bird. The trans-Pacific route from its breeding grounds in the Arctic to its non-breeding grounds in the southern hemisphere covers over 11,000 km. Birds arrive in New South Wales between August and October and then leave between February and April, with a small number of individuals overwintering. The subspecies is most frequently recorded along major coastal river estuaries and sheltered embayments, particularly the Tweed, Richmond, Clarence, Macleay, Hastings, Hunter and Shoalhaven river estuaries, Port Stephens and Botany Bay. It is a rare visitor to wetlands away from the coast with scattered records as far west as along the Darling River and the Riverina.

Habitat and ecology

It is found mainly in coastal habitats such as large intertidal sandflats, banks, mudflats, estuaries, inlets, harbours, coastal lagoons and bays. Less frequently it occurs in salt lakes and brackish wetlands, sandy ocean beaches and rock platforms.
It often occurs around beds of seagrass, and sometimes in nearby saltmarsh or the outer margins of mangrove areas.
It forages at low to mid tide in shallow water or along the water's edge on sandy substrates on intertidal flats, banks and beaches or on soft mud substrates.
Its diet consists of worms, molluscs, crustaceans, insects and some plant material.
In NSW its high tide roost areas on sandy beaches, sandbars, spits and near-coastal saltmarsh are frequently shared with other shorebirds.
It is rarely found on inland wetlands or in areas of short grass such as farmland, paddocks and airstrips.
In large part, the observed decline in Bar-tailed Godwit (Western Alaskan) numbers across Australia stems from ongoing loss of intertidal mudflat habitat at key migration staging sites in the Yellow Sea.

Regional distribution and habitat

Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.

Threats

The dominant threat to the Bar-tailed Godwit (Western Alaskan subspecies) in NSW is loss and/or degradation of high tide roosting habitat and feeding habitat which affects the ability of the birds to build up the energy stores required for successful migration and breeding. Habitat loss may be direct (through land clearing, inundation, infilling or draining) or indirect (due to changes in water quality, hydrology or structural changes near roosting sites). Activities that cause habitat degradation include loss of marine or estuarine vegetation which alters the dynamic equilibrium of sediment banks and mudflats, invasion of intertidal mudflats by weeds such as cord grass, water pollution and changes to hydrological regime, and exposure of acid sulphate soils.
Only a small number of localities support a large number of individuals, in particular Kooragang Island and the lower Hunter estuary. The subspecies is therefore particularly susceptible to impacts at these small number of sites along the NSW coastline.
Roosting and foraging birds are sensitive to human disturbance, for example from fishing, power boating, jet skiing, wind and kite surfing, four-wheel driving, walking including with dogs, noise and night lighting. Sustained disturbances can prevent shorebirds from using parts of the habitat. Constant disturbance prior to migration can be effect the ability of the birds to build up the required energy stores.

Recovery strategies

A Saving Our Species conservation project is currently being developed for this species and will be available soon. For information on how you can contribute to this species' recovery, see the Activities to assist this species section below.

Activities to assist this species

Protect foraging habitat, particularly in important estuaries and embayments. Protect key identified high tide roosts.
Protect important foraging and roosting habitat from constant human disturbance. Erect signage at the approaches to high tide roosts to reduce the levels of disturbance, including excluding dogs or keeping them on leashes.
Prevent habitat becoming overgrown by weeds.
Protect habitat from predators, in particular the Fox and feral Cat at high tide roosts which are part of the mainland. Exclude dogs from high tide roost areas..
Undertake management activities to rehabilitate high tide roosts which have become abandoned due to weed growth or mangrove invasion of saltmarsh areas.
Support ongoing monitoring of shorebirds along the NSW coastline. In estuaries poorly surveyed undertake steps to improve monitoring.
Prepare strategies to minimise the incidence of direct mortality as a result of chemical and oil spills in important shoreline areas, such as the Hunter River estuary.
Prepare strategies to minimise the incidence of direct mortality as a result of new windfarms, new airports or runway expansions and powerlines passing between foraging and roosting areas.

IBRA Bioregion	IBRA Subregion	Known or predicted	Geographic restrictions region

NSW North Coast	Coffs Coast and Escarpment	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Karuah Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Macleay Hastings	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Yuraygir	Predicted	None
Ocean	Tweed-Moreton	Known	None
Other State	Jervis Bay Territory	Predicted	None
South East Corner	Bateman	Known	None
South East Corner	East Gippsland Lowlands	Predicted	None
South East Corner	South East Coastal Ranges	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Burringbar-Conondale Ranges	Predicted	None
South Eastern Queensland	Clarence Lowlands	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Scenic Rim	Predicted	None
South Eastern Queensland	Sunshine Coast-Gold Coast Lowlands	Predicted	None
Sydney Basin	Hunter	Predicted	None
Sydney Basin	Illawarra	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Jervis	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Pittwater	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Sydney Cataract	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Wyong	Predicted	None

Images

Roosting Bar-tailed Godwits (Western Alaskan) at Coomerong Island
Enlarge image

Nature conservation

Threatened species