Black-tailed Godwit
Black-tailed GodwitBlack-tailed GodwitBlack-tailed GodwitBlack-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Limosa limosa

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
40–50% · Likely
overall probability at Vatnajokull National Park
895 Verified records at Vatnajokull National Park
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, Limosa. There are four subspecies, all with orange head, neck and chest in breeding plumage and dull grey-brown winter coloration, and distinctive black and white wingbar at all times. Its breeding range stretches from Iceland through Europe and areas of central Asia. Black-tailed godwits spend (the northern hemisphere) winter in areas as diverse as the Indian subcontinent, Australia, New Zealand, western Europe and west Africa. The species breeds in fens, lake edges, damp meadows, moorlands and bogs and uses estuaries, swamps and floods in (the northern hemisphere) winter; it is more likely to be found inland and on freshwater than the similar bar-tailed godwit. Wikipedia →

40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Godwit sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 895 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Vatnajokull National Park

Common Snipe
LC

Common Snipe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gallinago gallinago

50–60% · Likely
Common Redshank
LC

Common Redshank

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa totanus

40–50% · Likely
Whimbrel
LC

Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius phaeopus

40–50% · Likely
Red-necked Phalarope
LC

Red-necked Phalarope

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalaropus lobatus

40–50% · Possible
Dunlin
NT

Dunlin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris alpina

10–20% · With luck
Purple Sandpiper
LC

Purple Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris maritima

<5% · Rare
Ruddy Turnstone
NT

Ruddy Turnstone

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Arenaria interpres

<5% · Rare
Sanderling
LC

Sanderling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris alba

<5% · Rare
Red Knot
NT

Red Knot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris canutus

<5% · Rare
Jack Snipe
LC

Jack Snipe

Bird

Lymnocryptes minimus

<5% · Rare
Eurasian Woodcock
LC

Eurasian Woodcock

Bird

Scolopax rusticola

<5% · Rare
Ruff
LC

Ruff

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris pugnax

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

5–10
Jan
5–10
Feb
5–10
Mar
20–30
Apr
60–70
May
60–70
Jun
40–50
Jul
20–30
Aug
5–10
Sep
<5
Oct
5–10
Nov
5–10
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 Thingvellir National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
40–50%
2 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
40–50%
3 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
30–40%
4 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
30–40%
5 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
20–30%
6 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
20–30%
7 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
20–30%
8 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
10–20%
9 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
10–20%
10 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
11 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
10–20%
12 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
10–20%
13 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
14 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
5–10%
15 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
5–10%
16 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
17 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
18 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
19 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
20 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
21 Hemis National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
22 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
<5%
23 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
24 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
25 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
26 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
27 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
28 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
29 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
30 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
31 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
32 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
33 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data
34 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
35 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
36 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
37 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
38 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
39 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Black-tailed Godwit in Vatnajokull National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Godwit sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 895 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Black-tailed Godwit in Vatnajokull National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Black-tailed Godwit in Vatnajokull National Park in our monthly data.

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