Describing habitat and finding colour rings of Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) in the Brakna region (Mauritania) and in the Senegal River Valley between Djoudj/ Diawling NP and Kaédi (Senegal and Mauritania) from 23 October – 5 November 2019

• Main Authors: Hooijmeijer, Jos, Howison, Ruth, Piersma, Theunis, Sidi Cheikh, Mohamed Ahmed
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: University of Groningen 2019
• Subjects: black-tailed godwit; Limosa limosa
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/352d2fcb-4653-4c78-b34c-5e3fe4f2ea57; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/352d2fcb-4653-4c78-b34c-5e3fe4f2ea57; https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/250909178/2019_Expedition_Report_Senegal_River_Valley.pdf

The Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa; BTG) is a meadow bird (Verstrael 1987; Thijsse 1904). The current Dutch population is estimated at fewer than 40.000 breeding pairs (Kentie et al. 2016) and represents an important part of the total continental BTG population Limosa limosa limosa. However, the number of breeding pairs have declined rapidly over the last decades, as compared to the 120.000 pairs in the 1960s (Mulder 1972). This is mainly caused by a change in agricultural land use. Intensification and rationalisation have led to degradation of the breeding habitat, resulting in low reproduction. The population in the Netherlands cannot produce enough chicks for a stable population (Vickery et al. 2001; Newton 2004; Tscharnke et al. 2005; Teunissen & Soldaat 2006; Roodbergen et al. 2012; Kentie et al. 2018). After the breeding season godwits migrate to southern Europe (Spain and Portugal) and West-Africa where they stay for wintering (Márquez-Ferrando et al. 2009; Hooijmeijer et al. 2013).