This species was one of the more abundant large waders in the area. It is normally divided into three subspecies. Birds breeding in Asia are assigned to the race L. l. melanuroides which is smaller and darker than the European or Icelandic races.
Mark Brazil in "Birds of East Asia (2009)" splits this race under the name of L. melanuroides "Eastern Black-tailed Godwit" distinguished from the other two races (Western Black-tailed Godwit) by its darker more contrasting blackish-brown (vs. paler gray) forewing and narrower white wing-stripe in flight. This split was previously suggested by Engelmoer & Roselaar: Geographical Variation in Waders (1998). However this proposal to split the Black-tailed Godwit into two species seems to have gained little traction from other authors so far.
Digiscoped with Panasonic DMC-LX5 | Nikon FieldScope III | 30XWA |hand-held (no adapter).