What they like

Bare, wet edges. Silt, mud, shallow water. That’s where they paces nervously, bobs his tail and probes food out of the muck. Help them: leave puddly, soggy spots in fields or parks. Prefer not to mow low bank sections too short. Create a gentle bank at ditches or ponds, with a messy transition from wet grass to mud.

Ecological importance

The witgat is a cleaner of wet margins. He eats insect larvae, small aquatic animals and worms. In doing so they keeps life at ditch-edges and in ponds moving. He is also prey for raptors; open, safe resting spots make a difference.

When in the Netherlands

Generally visible year-round, with peaks during migration. Some overwinter, especially in mild winters.

Status

Does not breed in the Netherlands. Passage migrant: common. Winter visitor: scarce to fairly common.