Bar-Tailed Godwit Spotted For The First Time In Amravati, Birders Excited

By Shashank Laware

Amravati: Four days ago, bird enthusiast and wildlife photographer Tushar Ambadkar spotted something uncommon at Bor Dam in Maharashtra's Amravati district. A bar-tailed godwit was seen sitting on the banks of the lake, a rare sighting in the Vidharba region.

Ambadkar, who was accompanied by three other birders, Yadav Tarte Patil, Vinay Badhe, and Amit Sontakke, said the bar-tailed godwit sat here for a long time, giving them adequate time to click a couple of photographs.

"Seeing this bird at the Bor Dam took us by surprise and we spent three to four days tracking it here. We were stunned how the bird stood still in the water body for a long duration. We could take plenty of photographs without any rush. It definitely was a surreal experience for all of us," Ambadkar said.

He said that bar-tailed godwit has been spotted for the first time at a reservoir Amravati University and Bor dam, close to Amravati city. This bird, a native to Arctic/subArctic tundra regions including Siberia, Alaska, and northern Asia, is usually spotted in Mumbai and along the Konkan coast of Maharashtra during winter.

Nature enthusiasts said that seeing the bird in the Vidarbha region is rare. "It is amazing how this bird made its way to Amravati. It might have lost its way to this region," Ambadkar said.

Sighting Bar-Tailed Godwit is rare in Vidharba region (ETV Bharat)

Its distinctive red breeding plumage, long legs and a long upturned bill makes it easily identified. Yadav Tarte Patil, a bird enthusiast told ETV Bharat, "The crosswise black or brown stripes/bars gives the bird its name. With a wingspan of 70 to 80 centimetres and a length of 37 to 41 centimetres, this bird is medium to large in size and weighs 250 to 600 grams. The male birds are smaller and more attractive than females. It feeds on insects, worms and mussels. Their long and pointed beaks help them to dig deep into the mud to hunt for food," he said.

The bar-tailed godwit makes an arduous journey of 11,000–12,000 kilometres, taking eight to 10 days to complete its trip, said Patil.

Beginning from October till March, this bird migrates to all of India's coastlines. It can be sighted along Mumbai shore, Thane, Airoli, Vashi, the coast of Alibaug and in the sea bays of Uran and Panvel. This apart, it is also spotted along the coastline of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Devgad, Malvan, and Ganpati Pule.

According to Ambadkar, what's unique about these birds is that ahead of their 10-day-long journey, they eat a lot of fatty food because their digestive systems contract during flight.

However, this migratory bird is now critically endangered. Melville, David & Battley, Phil. (2006), in their publication in ResearchGate state, "New Zealand's coast supports up to 1,66,000 northern hemisphere breeding waders, including internationally important populations of Bar-tailed Godwit and Red Knot, during the austral summer. Some 1,63,000 local breeding waders come to the coast during winter. Most endemic waders are threatened, the Black Stilt being critically endangered. Habitat loss and predation by mammals are the greatest threats."

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), on its portal, states, "Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica has been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2025 and Limosa lapponica is listed as Near Threatened under criteria A2bcde+4bcde."

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