Limosa haemastica
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hudsonian Godwit sighting in Katmai National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 50th most-seen of the 93 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Hudsonian Godwit in Katmai National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and August, the lowest months. April and October–February have too few records to rate.
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 4 parks where we can rate Hudsonian Godwit sightings, Katmai National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Lauca National Park (Chile, about 10%) and Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, under 5%).
Same family: Scolopacidae
The closest relatives of the Hudsonian Godwit that you can see in Katmai National Park (family Scolopacidae, Sandpipers and Allies) are Greater Yellowlegs (about 60%), Spotted Sandpiper (about 20%) and Lesser Yellowlegs (about 20%), 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 Katmai National Park (24 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
