The Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) has been identified as a focal species of management concern due to historical population declines and range contraction, small size of the global population, and ongoing threats in breeding in wintering habitats. Loss and degradation of native grasslands through agricultural conversion, which encompass the primary breeding habitats (grassland/wetland complexes) of Marbled Godwits, appear to be the major threats to this species, especially in the Great Plains of North America where the greatest percentage of the breeding global population occurs. Loss and degradation of wintering and migration habitats due to coastal development along the Pacific coast of the United States and Mexico, and also on the Gulf Coast and Southeastern Coastal Plains region, may pose a threat to Marbled Godwit populations.
Date: September 2006
Sources: Melcher, C.P., A. Farmer and G. Fernandez. 2006. Version 1.1. Conservation Plan for the Marbled Godwit. Manomet Center for Conservation Science, Manomet, Massachusetts.
National Audubon Society. 2002. Audubon WatchList: Marbled Godwit ( Limosa fedoa ). Downloaded from (http: www.audubon.org) on 9/6/2006.
Gratto-Trevor, C.L. 2000. Marbled Godwit ( Limosa fedoa ). In The Birds of North America, No. 492 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Species Profile from NatureServe
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
Description:Large shorebird that breeds primarily in temperate grasslands of North America and winters in coastal habitats mainly along the Pacific and Gulf of California coasts
Life History:
Reproduction Comments: Breeding begins mid- to late May (Harrison 1978). Usually 4 eggs are incubated by both sexes. Length of incubation is not known. Nestlings are precocial. Often nests in semicolonial groups (Hayman et al. 1986).
Ecology Comments:
Nonbreeding: forages singly or in small loose groups, roosts in larger groups (Stiles and Skutch 1989).
Breeding territories: large, often including both feeding and nesting areas; in North Dakota, mean size 90 hectares (Ryan et al. 1984). Nests occasionally as close as 60 meters (Nowicki 1973, Gratto-Trevor 2000). Distances between nests of same birds in different years range from 73-1060 meters (Gratto-Trevor 2000).
Habitat:Marshes and flooded plains; in migration and when not breeding also on mudflats and beaches (AOU 1983) and open shallow water along shorelines. Post-breeders often in flooded livestock feedlots and alkali wetlands in North Dakota. Sleeps or rests on dikes in salt ponds, mangroves (Costa Rica, Stiles and Skutch 1989). Nests on ground in grassy prairies, pastures, and hayfields, near lakes and ponds; coastal marshland at James Bay. Often nests in semi-permanent wetlands, may select ephemeral alkali and temporary ponds when available.
Distribution:
United States:
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NN, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Canada:
AB, BC, MB, ON, QC, SK
Status:
NatureServe Status:
Global Status: G5,
Global Status Last Reviewed: 25Nov1996,
Global Status Last Changed: 25Nov1996,
Rounded Global Status: G5 - Secure,
Nation: United States,
National Status: N5B N5N,
Nation: Canada,
National Status: N5B (28Jul2000)
Other Statuses:
IUCN Red List Category: LC - Least concern
