Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa fedoa) 25 May 2008, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, Orange County, California.. Photo © 2008 Joseph Morlan

In breeding plumage, these godwits show extensive dark barring on their underparts which they lack during the winter. This late straggler is probably on its way to breeding grasslands in the Northern Plains and Southern Canada, but some non-breeders (mostly young birds) spend the summer in California. This is the widespread nominate race L. f. fedoa. A rare smaller race, L. f. beringiae, breeds locally in Alaska and is believed to winter along the coast of Northern California. DNA evidence suggests that godwits are most closely related to curlews. The strong similarity in plumage between the Marbled Godwit and the Long-billed Curlew supports that classification. Panasonic DMC-LZ5 / Nikon FS 3 / 30XWA / hand-held, no adapter.
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