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

Then we get Ms. Morris’s marvelous painting of a solitary godwit in a suggestively tarnished sky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

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 male bar-tailed godwit, whose standard weight is between 190gm and 400gm, can double in size before a long flight but is able to shrink its internal organs to lighten the load.

From The Guardian • Oct. 13, 2020

There should be no difficulty in distinguishing the godwit from any of the other shore birds, its long upward curved bill and brownish-barred back being features by which it may always be known.

From Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast by Payne, Harry Thom