Sanctuary | Photo Feature
The Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica is a long-billed,
long-legged and largely migratory
wader in family Scolopacidae. It has
a very long, slightly up-curved bill,
which it uses for feeding mainly on
polychaetes worms along with insect
larvae, and molluscs. It frequents
the shorelines and edges of water
for prey that lay submerged in the
ground. Its long bill is perfectly
adapted to dig its prey out.
Mayuresh Khatavkar
The Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus is a
medium-sized shorebird and its
scientifi c name is derived from
the words ‘marsh racer’ and
‘snipe-like’ respectively. The vagrant
bird is rarely sighted in the Indian
subcontinent. It continuously probes
the soft ground or shallow waterbed
for food, poking its beak in and out
of mud repeatedly like the motion of
a sewing machine. The long, straight
bill helps it hunt insect larvae,
earthworms, crustaceans and snails
from within the ground.
Santosh Gulavani