Smallest of the world’s four godwit species, the handsome “Hudwit” is an uncommon sight, as it lives most of its life at the extreme ends of the Americas. Its English name is a reference to this bird’s remote breeding grounds in northeastern Canada and Alaska.
The Hudsonian Godwit’s genus name, Limosa, derives from the Latin word for mud – limus, and refers to this bird’s feeding habits and habitats. The species name, haemastica, derives from the Ancient Greek word for “bloody”, a nod to the dark red breast and belly plumage of adult birds in breeding plumage. Other definitive ID features that can be noted in all seasons are this bird’s long, slightly upward-curving pink bill with dark tip, black wing linings, and black tail.
Like the Arctic Tern(Sterna paradisaea) and Blackpoll Warbler(Setophaga striata), this long-legged shorebird is a master of migration, flying tens of thousands of miles each year between its breeding and wintering grounds.
Read more:
https://abcbirds.org/bird/hudsonian-godwit/
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