godwit

American  

[god-wit] / ˈgɒd wɪt /

noun

1. any of several large, widely distributed shorebirds of the genus Limosa, as the New World L. haemastica Hudsonian godwit, having a long bill that curves upward slightly.

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godwit British  

/ ˈɡɒdwɪt /

noun

1. any large shore bird of the genus Limosa, of northern and arctic regions, having long legs and a long upturned bill: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes

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Etymology

Origin of godwit

First recorded in 1545–55; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

For example, the bar-tailed godwit, a pigeon-sized shorebird, breeds in Alaska and then migrates to New Zealand.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2022

A rare shorebird called a Hudsonian godwit had been seen in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and they had hoped to get a better look at some of the less accessible shorelines from the water.

From Slate • Sep. 1, 2022

The bar-tailed godwit set off from south-west Alaska on 16 September and arrived in a bay near Auckland 11 days later, having flown at speeds of up to 55mph.

From The Guardian • Oct. 13, 2020

“I am the bartailed godwit of poets,” he declares.

From New York Times • Dec. 22, 2015

The godwit, already mentioned, has been observed in flocks at the Falkland Islands in May, that is, three months after the same species had taken its autumal departure from the neighbouring mainland.

From The Naturalist in La Plata by Hudson, W. H. (William Henry)