 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
||
Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
|
Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
|
-1.8 (-2.63 - -0.863)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Atlas Results
Marbled Godwits were found south of the boreal forest in 776 atlas squares, and observed as far north as Meadow Lake, and breeding confirmed as far north as Arborfield. The mapping analysis revealed the Mixed and Moist-Mixed Grassland ecoregions as the centre of their distribution in Saskatchewan, with decreasing probability of observation to the edge of the boreal forest. Marbled Godwits are found in areas of upland habitat adjacent to shallow wetlands, and the drought conditions during the Atlas years are likely to have affected their abundance and distribution on the landscape, as many of the wetlands that dot the Prairie Pothole Region were dry to varying degrees during this time.
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Uttering their loud ratica, ratica, ratica cries, these large shorebirds are a common sight in much of the Canadian prairies during the breeding season. Nesting in upland habitats near shallow wetlands, over half of the world population breeds in the 3 Prairie Provinces (Gratto-Trevor 2000). The breeding range is restricted to the northern Great Plains, except for small, isolated populations in Alaska and southern James Bay. Marbled Godwits winter on both coasts, from Washington on the Pacific Coast and North Carolina on the Atlantic coast south to northern South America (ibid.).
The Marbled Godwit breeds in relatively low vegetation in upland areas, primarily in native or seeded grasslands, but occasionally in spring crop, winter wheat, or stubble. In spring at Little Quill Lake it usually frequents smaller marsh habitats rather than lakeshores, while in fall it uses both habitats (Alexander and Gratto-Trevor 1997). At Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area, it uses temporary rather than permanent wetlands (Colwell and Oring 1988a).
The Marbled Godwit was formerly a common summer resident north to and including the transition forest (Smith 1996). Numbers of Marbled Godwits are considerably fewer in the Elbow area than in the 1930s and 1940s (Roy 1996), similar to the slow decline in the Qu'Appelle area 1960-1980 (Callin 1980).
Original text by Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Marbled Godwit in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Marbled Godwit in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=MAGO&lang=en [14 Nov 2025]
| Previous species: Long-billed Curlew | Table of Contents | Next species: Short-billed Dowitcher |