Black-tailed Godwit

The black-tailed godwit is a slender, long-legged wader with a long, straight bill and, in spring, a russet neck and breast. In flight it is recognised by its broad white wing bar and black tail band, which give it its name. In 2015 it was voted the national bird of the Netherlands in a nationwide poll. Many godwits that winter in the Vendée come all the way from Iceland, in one long flight over the sea. They can be seen all year round: in winter in large flocks on mudflats and wet meadows, in summer in smaller numbers, and a few pairs even breed in the marshes.