Limosa haemastica
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica) is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. It is an extreme long-distance migrant, breeding at remote sites in Subarctic North America and flying nonstop in the fall to wintering sites in southern South America. Due to its remote breeding and wintering grounds and rapid, direct migration, it was a poorly-known species and was considered very rare until the mid-20th century, when major staging sites were discovered around James Bay and breeding sites were found around Churchill, Manitoba. Since then, the Hudsonian godwit has become the target of conservation attention due to its fragmented and localized distribution and small population, as well as an important scientific system for migration biology research.
The Hudsonian godwit was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it in the genus Scolopax and coined the binomial name Scolopax haemastica. Linnaeus based his entry on the "red-breasted godwit" that had been described and illustrated in 1750 by the English naturalist George Edwards in the third volume of his... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 3 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 4 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 5 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hudsonian Godwit sighting in Anchorage on a given day, based on 598 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 37th most-seen of the 138 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Hudsonian Godwit in Anchorage on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hudsonian Godwit sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Hudsonian Godwit sightings, Anchorage has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come San Diego (United States, under 5%) and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, under 5%).
Same family: Scolopacidae
The closest relatives of the Hudsonian Godwit that you can see in Anchorage (family Scolopacidae, Sandpipers and Allies) are Greater Yellowlegs (about 30%), Lesser Yellowlegs (about 20%) and Short-billed Dowitcher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hudsonian Godwit is recorded against all the birds logged in Anchorage (598 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
