The bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) name is taken from the black-and-white barred tail and upper tail coverts. A long-billed, long-legged wader, the non-stop migration flight of the bar-tailed godwit is the longest of any bird species – up to 18,020 miles (29,000 km). Its breeding range stretches from Iceland through Europe and areas of central Asia. Black-tailed godwits can winter in areas as diverse as the Indian subcontinent, Australia, New Zealand, western Europe and west Africa. The black-tailed godwit is the national bird of the Netherlands.
See also: Black tailed godwit
