The Hudsonian Godwit is one of the largest shorebirds that occurs in the NWT. It has long, dark legs and a long, slightly upturned bill. The bill is bi-coloured in both sexes, being pinkish red or orange at the base and becoming darker towards the tip. Females are usually larger than males, but males have darker plumage overall.
Weight: Females, 246 to 358 g (8.7 to 12.6 oz); Males, 196 to 266 g (6.9 to 9.4 oz)
Length: 36 to 42 cm (14 to 17 in)
Report Hudsonian Godwit sightings to ebird.org
Hudsonian Godwits are known to breed at three main locations in North America: western Alaska, the Hudson Bay coast, and along the Beaufort Sea coast in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (especially the Mackenzie River Delta).
Hudsonian Godwits undertake one of the longest migrations of any bird species in the world. They can travel more than 32,000 km annually between their North American breeding grounds and wintering sites in South America. They can fly continuously for extended periods and much of this distance is covered during non-stop flights over the ocean that can take several days.
Breeding habitat for the Hudsonian Godwit includes wetland areas of boreal and sub-Arctic regions, such as grass/sedge meadows or muskeg. The nest site is well concealed and often located on dry hummocks or ridges of tundra polygons.
Counts of Hudsonian Godwits at migratory stopover sites indicate the species has declined significantly since the 1970s, although the reliability of these estimates remains low. The causes of this decline are unclear, but the species is considered vulnerable to disturbance because many individuals in the population gather together at only a small number of key staging and wintering sites.
Potential threats in the Northwest Territories include breeding habitat degradation from threats like climate change and industrial development, and direct disturbance at nest sites from human activities, such as resource exploration and development.
COSEWIC assessed Hudsonian Godwit as Threatened in 2019.
Hudsonian Godwits and their nests are protected under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act.