The Black-tailed Godwits, stands out as a particularly upstanding, long-legged, and long-bill bird. In flight its legs trail well beyond its tail. On the ground it tends to feed with this bill pointing vertically down to probe close to its toes. It locates its pray by sight and by touch, immersing the sensitive tip of its long bill into shallow water or soft mud. The bird probes vigorously with sudden rapid and deep movement for worms and molluscs.

They mainly breed in Iceland and spend the winter in Western Europe.