Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa

The Marbled Godwit, the tallest of 4 species of godwit, is an American shore-bird breeding on the plains of Canada and northern USA and wintering in the tropics.

It has long dark legs and an extremely long bill, pink-red with black, allowing it to reach worms and molluscs deep in the sand or mud. The winter plumage shown above is a brown, striped back with a paler, "marbled" underside. The summer plumage is a red-brown underside with dark bars for both males and females. Male has a brighter red bill base; female is larger.

Size comparison: taller than the Willet. All photos above were taken by Alexandra Makhnina in Florida.