{"id":1255,"date":"2010-11-10T06:00:48","date_gmt":"2010-11-10T12:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=1255"},"modified":"2025-09-05T14:55:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T19:55:18","slug":"shorebirds-of-fort-de-soto-marbled-godwits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/11\/10\/shorebirds-of-fort-de-soto-marbled-godwits\/","title":{"rendered":"Shorebirds of Fort De Soto – Marbled Godwits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MarbledMarbled Godwit standing out from the crowd –\u00a0D200, handheld, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Marbled Godwits are the largest godwits of North America.\u00a0Marbled Godwits\u00a0can be seen frequently on the shorelines of Fort De Soto<\/span><\/a> and feeding on the mudflats of the lagoons at low tide.<\/p>\n

According to American Museum of Natural History <\/em>Marbled Godwits are long-lived, the oldest bird recorded was 29 years old! I was quite astonished to read that.<\/p>\n

\"MarbledMarbled Godwit in a funny pose –\u00a0D200, handheld, f6.3, 1\/640, ISO 160, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Marbled Godwits feed by probing their bills for crustaceans and mollusks in mudflats and on beaches, they also take small fish and are especially fond of eating grasshoppers they find in grasses. During migration marbled godwits forage almost exclusively on plant tubers.<\/p>\n

\"MarbledMarbled Godwit – Serenity ~ Simplified –\u00a0D200, handheld, f5.6, 1\/320, ISO 250, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Marbled Godwits associate in flocks and often forage together “stitching” mudflats, probing deeply and rapidly while slowly moving forward. It can at times be a challenge for a bird photographer to isolate a single bird from the flock for images.<\/p>\n

\"LandingLanding Marbled Godwit – D200, handheld, f7.1, 1\/500, ISO 160, 80-400mm VR at 195mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

On Fort De Soto’s Gulf beaches you will often find Marbled Godwits in mixed flocks of other shorebirds. The breeding grounds of Marbled Godwits are\u00a0grassy marshes of the Great Plains and as far north as Alaska’s\u00a0coastal tundra.<\/p>\n

\"PreeningPreening Marbled Godwit –\u00a0D200, handheld, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Female Marbled Godwits have\u00a0longer bills than males and females are slightly larger than males over all. Their length is between 16 and 19 inches, the wingspan is from 28 to 32 inches and weight is from 10 to 16 ounces.<\/p>\n

Marbled Godwits<\/span><\/a> are graceful birds while on the ground, feeding and in flight. They have a beautiful cinnamon color, long dark legs and slightly turned up bill. They are truly a joy to photograph.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Marbled Godwit photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Similar species:<\/p>\n

\"Long-billed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marbled Godwits are graceful birds while on the ground, feeding and in flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":154428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25,704,88],"tags":[4004,9088,4042,5229,5132,12013,4040,4052,4122,4136,6208,2546,3945,12018,3884,6423,4077,1799,3997,4123,4163,4930,4419,12016,12014,4273,12012,12015,4019,5759,4156,274,12017,3996],"class_list":["post-1255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-marbled-godwits","tag-adult","tag-bills","tag-blur","tag-coast","tag-coastal","tag-crustaceans","tag-feeding","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-foraging","tag-funny-pose","tag-godwit","tag-godwits","tag-graceful","tag-grasshoppers","tag-great-plains","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-insects","tag-lagoon","tag-landing","tag-limosa-fedoa","tag-low-tide","tag-marbled-godwit","tag-mixed-flocks","tag-mollusks","tag-mudflats","tag-one-leg","tag-plant-tubers","tag-preening-2","tag-probe","tag-resting","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-tundra","tag-water"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-mia-mcpherson-one-legged-3267.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-kf","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45277,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/02\/28\/marbled-godwit-and-friends-on-exposed-mudflats\/","url_meta":{"origin":1255,"position":0},"title":"Marbled Godwit and Friends on Exposed Mudflats","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2009 I photographed this foraging Marbled Godwit and friends on exposed mudflats of a Fort De Soto County Park lagoon.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Foraging Marbled Godwit on exposed mudflats, north beach of Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-willets-mia-mcpherson-6690.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-willets-mia-mcpherson-6690.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-mia-mcpherson-3637.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-mia-mcpherson-3637.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-mia-mcpherson-3637.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-mia-mcpherson-3637.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16765,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/11\/07\/marbled-godwit-and-the-gulf-of-mexico\/","url_meta":{"origin":1255,"position":2},"title":"Marbled Godwit And The Gulf Of Mexico","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I have always thought of Marbled Godwits as graceful, elegant shorebirds and I still do.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Marbled Godwit and the Gulf of Mexico, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-feeding-mia-mcpherson-1165.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-feeding-mia-mcpherson-1165.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-feeding-mia-mcpherson-1165.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-feeding-mia-mcpherson-1165.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-florida-mia-mcpherson-1189.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-florida-mia-mcpherson-1189.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-florida-mia-mcpherson-1189.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/marbled-godwit-florida-mia-mcpherson-1189.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27257,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/08\/08\/marbled-godwits-are-migrating\/","url_meta":{"origin":1255,"position":4},"title":"Marbled Godwits Are Migrating","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The past few times I have gone to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I have seen Marbled Godwits flying over and I know that their migration to their wintering grounds has begun.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Marbled Godwits feeding, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/marbled-godwits-feeding-mia-mcpherson-6873.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/marbled-godwits-feeding-mia-mcpherson-6873.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/marbled-godwits-feeding-mia-mcpherson-6873.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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