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Shore birds of the Chaplin Lake

Marbled Godwit

This tall bird measures 40 - 50 centimetres (18 inches) long. It has a long, slightly upcurved orange bill tipped with black. Its dark brown upperparts are heavily spotted and streaked with black, buff, white and chestnut, giving the body a marbled appearance.

The Marbled Godwit arrives in early May. It nests in grasslands sometimes quite far from wetlands or alkaline lakes. The male takes the night shift to assist the female in incubating the eggs. The young are ready to migrate south after four weeks.

The breeding range extends over the northern great plains with a small population around the southern coast of James Bay. Winters are spent in the southern United States and as far south as central Guatemala and British Honduras.

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Page Last Modified: Thursday, 03-Aug-2006 11:46:35 EDT
Menlo Park, CA [caww55]