Limosa limosa
The black-tailed godwit is a limicolous bird that nests in summer in wetlands, often on the mainland of Iceland, Europe and Central Asia. It migrates south to spend the winter in Spain, sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia as far as Australia. Every year, thousands of black-tailed godwits pass along the French coast on their way to or from their winter quarters. Two subspecies, from Iceland and Northern Europe
(ssp Islandica
) and Central European (
ssp limosa
Existing telemetry data show that barges can migrate at sea, sometimes offshore, and can cross the Bay of Biscay. The species is in sharp decline across its range due to habitat fragmentation and pollution, as well as disturbance and hunting. It is now protected in France, unlike many other limicolae which are still widely hunted.
Shorebirds are captured on moonless nights using vertical nets stretched between their feeding sites on the mudflats. Black-tailed godwits are caught on their breeding grounds in Iceland for the islandica subspecies, on their migratory stopover sites from Brittany to Charente-Maritime, and on their stopover or wintering sites in northern Spain. All shorebirds are fitted with GPS tags weighing between 3 and 10g, depending on the size of the species. These beacons transmit the birds’ geographical position and altitude live via the 4G network.
Migratory in France
Breeder in France
: Wintering in France