A new subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa bohaii has just been recognised and described based on size and genetics https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epd ... /ibi.12890. It was first noticed in the Bohai Sea of China and has occurred other south-east Asian countries. The current theory is that they breed in the Sakha Republic in the Russian Far East.
It's possible that they could come to New Zealand but I'm not sure how to recognise them yet. The Black-tailed Godwits I've seen lately seem to be small compared to Bar-tails (not that that's a particularly useful scale) so may be the more usual L.l. melanuroides.
Ian
New subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit from our flyway
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Ian Southey
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