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A large godwit is a bird that is part of the snipe family along with a carduelis, red-necked, long-tailed sandpiper, forest hollow and others. All birds from this family have an external resemblance, as well as their habitats, as they often live in damp and swampy places.
Appearance
The body of the godwit can be compared to a pigeon, but with a more elongated neck, paws and beak. For most of the year, the bird does not have pronounced sexual dimorphism, and for this reason the gender difference is practically not noticeable. Only with the onset of the mating season, the plumage of the male changes slightly - spots of reddish flowers appear on the neck, breast and lower abdomen. On the upper part of the head, longitudinal stripes of a dark brown hue appear, and on the sides they have a dashed pattern. The plumage of a female can also be modified during this period. A white stripe appears on its wings, which is visible during flight. Also, the tail changes to black with a white undertail. In the rest of the year, outside the breeding season, representatives of this bird species have a variegated color of plumage with a slightly larger interspersing of brown-black spots on the head and wings. The lower abdomen and breast have a light shade with a small amount of brown feathers. The bird has an elongated beak of gray-orange flowers. The color of the paws is not universal and can be either gray or orange shades, or mixed colors.
Food
The large godwit is not a supporter of a certain type of food, which can be of either plant or animal origin. For the most part, its diet consists of aquatic insects and their larvae, crustaceans, worms, tadpoles, small crustaceans, bugs and spiders. From plant foods, the bird can feed on a certain type of grass or the seeds of various plants. The godworm uses seeds in most cases during periods of flooding of fields, when they soften and swell under the influence of water.
Grasshoppers and other locust insects may prevail during bird nesting. It is a public bird, usually feeding in large groups.
Breeding
During the nesting period, which lasts from April to mid-June, godwits preferably settle in large groups. Sometimes in one place you can count up to 20 pairs of individuals. The bird is a monogamous species.
In the mating season, which begins immediately upon arrival at the nesting site, they become less fearful and very noisy. This behavior allows the male to attract the female. After mating, only the female is responsible for the construction of the nest. To do this, she chooses a place on the banks of ponds, dry grass or in bushes, where she digs a shallow hole and covers it with dry vegetation. Typically, a female carries up to 5 eggs painted in olive green or, less commonly, red-brown in color with interspersed spots of dark olive-brown and ash-gray.
After laying, both parents continuously hatch eggs for three weeks. Immediately after their birth, the chicks possess a yellowish-ocher fluff with dark spots and are ready to feed themselves on their own. They leave their nest with their parents after the feathers have dried. Chicks are very voracious and grow quickly.Within a month, young birds fly well and are ready for independent life.
Habitat
The bird is considered very rare and in some areas of Russia is even listed in the Red Book.
Interesting fact! Poultry is valued very delicious and valuable meat, but hunting is prohibited. In this connection, negligent hunters are charged a huge fine.
Video: large godwit (Limosa limosa)
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