Bar-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed GodwitBar-tailed GodwitBar-tailed GodwitBar-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit

Limosa lapponica

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Rakiura National Park
21 Verified records at Rakiura National Park
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) is a large and strongly migratory wader in the family Scolopacidae, which feeds on bristle-worms and shellfish on coastal mudflats and estuaries. It has distinctive red breeding plumage, long legs, and a long upturned bill. Bar-tailed godwits breed on Arctic coasts and tundra from Scandinavia to Alaska, and overwinter on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of Australia and New Zealand. The migration of the subspecies Limosa lapponica baueri across the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to New Zealand is the longest known non-stop flight of any bird, and also the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal. The round-trip migration for this subspecies is over 29,000 km (18,020 mi). Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Bar-tailed Godwit sighting in Rakiura National Park, based on 21 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Rakiura National Park

Snares Island Snipe
NT Endemic

Snares Island Snipe

Bird

Coenocorypha huegeli

<5% · Rare
Ruddy Turnstone
NT

Ruddy Turnstone

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Arenaria interpres

Insufficient data
Silver Gull
Endemic

Silver Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

80–90% · Very likely
VOC
LC Endemic

VOC

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus unicolor

70–80% · Very likely
Dominican Gull
LC

Dominican Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus dominicanus

70–80% · Very likely
White-fronted Tern
NT

White-fronted Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna striata

50–60% · Likely
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
LC Endemic

South Island Pied Oystercatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus finschi

10–20% · With luck
Black-fronted Tern
EN Endemic

Black-fronted Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias albostriatus

5–10% · With luck
Brown Skua

Brown Skua

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Stercorarius antarcticus

<5% · Rare
Black-billed Gull
Endemic

Black-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus bulleri

<5% · Rare
Masked Lapwing
LC

Masked Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus miles

<5% · Rare
Antarctic Tern
LC

Antarctic Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna vittata

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
5–10
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
10–20%
2 Abel Tasman National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
10–20%
3 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
10–20%
4 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
10–20%
5 Fiordland National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
5–10%
6 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
7 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
8 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
9 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
10 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
11 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
12 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
13 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
14 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
15 Rakiura National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
<5%
16 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
17 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
18 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
20 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
21 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
23 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
24 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
25 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
26 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
27 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
28 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
29 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
30 Maria Island National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
31 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
32 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
33 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
34 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
35 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
36 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data
37 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Bar-tailed Godwit in Rakiura National Park?

About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Bar-tailed Godwit sighting in Rakiura National Park, based on 21 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Bar-tailed Godwit in Rakiura National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Bar-tailed Godwit in Rakiura National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Rakiura National Park