Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa l. lapponica eat polychaete worms wherever they winter in Europe

Capsule: Across the European wintering range Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica lapponica selected polychaete worms and especially Ragworms Hediste diversicolor, with differences between areas due to variations in prey availability.

Aims: To determine the diet of Bar-tailed Godwits across their wintering range in Europe by the analysis of droppings, collected at five important wintering sites.

Methods: Diet was estimated by the identification of undigested prey remains in droppings. We provide the rationale for quantifying the contributions of jawed and non-jawed polychaetes.

Results: We identified 18 different prey species in the diet of wintering Bar-tailed Godwits. The Ragworm was the most common prey item and the only one actively selected. Ragworms, on average, contributed 79% to the diet in terms of biomass, followed by King Ragworm Alitta virens (with 17% biomass) and Lugworms Arenicola marina (with 2%). Polychaetes such as Alitta succinea and Scoloplos armiger were also regularly found in the diet. Bivalves, snails and crustaceans contributed less than 1% to the diet.

Conclusion: This study highlights and confirms the importance of polychaete worms in the diet of European-wintering Bar-tailed Godwits.