37-42 cm, sexes similar. Grey-brown with whitish underparts outside the breeding season, rufous in breeding season. More elongated and with longer legs than the bar-tailed godwit, it has a characteristic black band on the tail and a light one on the wing. Present during migrations, especially in March and April, but it does not nest here. Unlike the bar-tailed godwit, it favours inland areas of fresh or brackish water, some valli da pesca (fishing reserves) and restored areas of Isola della Cona.