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The godwits are a group of large, long-billed, long-legged and strongly migratory waders of the bird genus ''Limosa''. Their long bills allow them to probe deeply in the sand for aquatic worms and molluscs. They frequent tidal shorelines, breeding in northern climates in summer and migrating south in winter. In their winter range, they flock together where food is plentiful. A female bar-tailed godwit holds the record for the longest non-stop flight for a land bird.〔(Bird Completes Epic Flight Across The Pacific ) ScienceDaily.com〕 They can be distinguished from the curlews by their straight or slightly upturned bills, and from the dowitchers by their longer legs. The winter plumages are fairly drab, but three species have reddish underparts when breeding. The females are appreciably larger than the males. Although not common tablefare today, they were once a popular British dish. Sir Thomas Browne writing in the seventeenth century noted that godwits "were accounted the daintiest dish in England." The name godwit originates in Old English with ''god'' meaning good, and ''wit'' coming from ''wihte'', meaning creature.〔Greenoak (1997).〕 ==Extant species== * Black-tailed godwit, ''Limosa limosa'' * Hudsonian godwit, ''Limosa haemastica'' * Bar-tailed godwit, ''Limosa lapponica'' * Marbled godwit, ''Limosa fedoa'' 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「godwit」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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