Where do migratory birds spend most of the year? For Black-tailed Godwits, the answer lies far beyond their breeding grounds. For a new scientific report that is in the making, Taylor Craft (University of Groningen) analysed more than a decade of satellite tracking data that show when and where Black-tailed Godwits concentrate during the non-breeding period along the East Atlantic Flyway.
Most of the Godwits were equipped with satellite or GPS transmitters in their breeding grounds in the Netherlands and in northern Germany. Using data from 347 tracked birds between 2013 and 2025, representing over 240,000 recorded locations, the report identifies 12 key sites that support a large share of the population during the non-breeding season. In fact, the Black-tailed Godwits spend nearly three-quarters of their time outside the breeding grounds.
Important Black-tailed Godwit sites on the Iberian Peninsula and in West Africa
Among these key sites, Doñana in southern Spain stands out as the most used site, supporting around 64% of tracked birds on average, while the Senegal River Delta hosts nearly half of individuals shortly after they arrive in West Africa. The data also show a clear seasonal pattern: birds first concentrate along coastal West Africa after their southward directed migration in July and August, shift inland to Sahelian floodplains during (European) autumn and early winter, and then return north to Iberian wetlands in late winter before heading back to their breeding grounds.
These results provide an important baseline for monitoring flyway conservation efforts and evaluating habitat restoration projects across the Godwit’s migratory range. Deploying the newest and smallest transmitters funded through European LIFE projects such as the LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats and LIFE Godwit Flyway will further improve and secure our understanding of habitat use – not only within the European breeding areas, but also throughout the species’ entire annual cycle.
