Marbled Godwit
Marbled Godwit has surged: up 103% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
About the Marbled Godwit
The Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) is a North American member of the Sandpipers & Allies (Scolopacidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the shorebirds.
- Size
- 5–26 in long (13–66 cm) — a probing shorebird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Shorelines, mudflats, beaches, flooded fields and wet meadows.
- Diet
- Invertebrates probed or picked from mud, sand and shallow water.
- Range
- Recorded on 152 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 5 states, most concentrated in the Prairie Potholes.
- Family
- Scolopacidae · Shorebirds
Notable Marbled Godwit Trends
Marbled Godwit has surged in surveyed states: up 103% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
Marbled Godwit Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Marbled Godwit is projected to rise about 24% by 2029 — from 0.10 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.12 (95% range 0.09–0.16). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±10%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.12 | 0.08 | 0.16 |
| 2026 | 0.12 | 0.08 | 0.16 |
| 2027 | 0.12 | 0.08 | 0.16 |
| 2028 | 0.12 | 0.09 | 0.16 |
| 2029 | 0.12 | 0.09 | 0.16 |
Where the Marbled Godwit Is Detected
BBS routes recording Marbled Godwit, sized by most recent count.
Marbled Godwit Population Trend by State
| Minnesota | +434% | 1972 | 20 |
| Montana | +445% | 1975 | 48 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| North Dakota | +51% | 1969 | 45 |
| South Dakota | +39% | 1969 | 38 |
Marbled Godwit Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Rockies | +37% | 1983 | 8 |
| Prairie Potholes | +71% | 1969 | 82 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +108% | 1994 | 4 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +687% | 1969 | 55 |
Marbled Godwit Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 103% since 1969. Many shorebirds have declined steeply, reflecting pressure on the coastal and wetland stopovers they depend on.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.