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27 He aha tērā? Bar-tailed Godwit

Large long-legged wader in shallow sea.
Miraz Jordan

These large wading birds spend their summers on our beach after an exhausting non-stop 12,000 Km flight over 10 days or so all the way from the Alaskan Arctic. They have a long tapering and slightly upturned pink bill with black tip He aha tērā? What is that?

Four large long-legged waders, brown above, pale below, with a long tapering and slightly upturned pink bill with black tip.

Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission.

Answer: it’s a kuaka, godwit:

Identification: Length: 39 cm (male); 41 cm (female); Weight: 275-400 g (male); 325-600 g (female)

Similar species: Hudsonian godwit, Black-tailed godwit, Whimbrel

A large long-legged wader, brown above, pale below, with a long tapering and slightly upturned pink bill with black tip. Males are markedly smaller with shorter bills than females.

This item was updated on Wednesday 23 March 2022

I live at Waikawa Beach and love all the wildlife, fauna and flora.