Wilson’s Snipe

The Wilson’s Snipe is one of the most abundant and widespread shorebirds of North America. It is found in wet, grassy habitats and along shorelines. However, it is an elusive species and the usual view of Gallinago delicata is as it flushes from grass or sedges, escaping in rapid, zigzag flight while uttering a rasping ‘scaipe’. It breeds through most of Canada and the northern United States. It winters from southern Alaska and Massachusetts south to northern South America.

Adult Male (spring/summer)

Very stocky, short-winged and short-legged. Dark brownish overall, with bold cream-coloured stripes on back and head. Dark under wing, white belly and heavily barred flanks. Very long, straight bill.

Adult Female (spring/summer)

Sexes are outwardly similar.

Juvenile

Juvenile is like adult but feathers with larger pale edges to body feathers.

General:

A cryptically patterned, medium-sized shorebird. Very stocky, short-winged and short-legged. Often crouches low to the ground. Long billed with boldly striped back and head. Length 25-28 cm. Wingspan 43-48 cm. Weight 79-146 g.

Behaviour:

Snipe probe in soil and mud frequently sticking their entire bill and sometimes their head under water. They swallow small items without withdrawing its bill. Snipe feed both day and night but are primarily crepuscular and are regularly seen flying to and from foraging areas at dawn and dusk. They eat larval insects, worms, crustaceans, mollusks, some vegetation and seeds. Often crouches low to the ground.

The hollow, low whistled sound called “winnowing” is used by the male to defend his territory and attract a mate. It is not a vocal sound, but rather is produced by air flowing over the outstretched tail feathers with each wing beat. The outer tail feathers are greatly modified to produce the sound and are thin and curved. During the display flight the bird flies in wide circles at about 152m or more, then periodically dives at a 45 degree angle and “winnows”.

Habitat:

This is an elusive and generally secretive species using its camouflaged plumage and vegetative cover to hide from predators. It forages in marshes, wet meadows, wet fields, and the marshy edges of streams and ditches and often is not seen until flushed.

Information:

The Wilson’s Snipe was recently recognized as a different species from the Common Snipe of Eurasia (G. gallinago). The two snipes look extremely similar, but differ in both winnowing display sounds and morphology allowing full specific status for the two species.

The long bill of the Wilson’s Snipe is flexible. The tips can be opened and closed with no movement at the base of the bill. Sensory pits at the tip of the bill, a character shared with other sandpipers, allow the snipe to feel its prey deep in the mud. The eyes of the snipe are set remarkably far back on its head, providing full vision to both sides and a binocular overlap to the rear. This arrangement enables a bird to detect the approach of a predator while its beak is fully buried in the substrate.

The snipe is typically seen singly or in small flocks of a dozen or more. Sometimes it gathers in larger numbers in prime habitat. Juveniles tend to gather in loose aggregations of up to 100 at age six weeks.

The nest is a neat, woven cup of grasses placed on the ground, often in a hummock of grass close to or surrounded by water. The clutch size is almost always four eggs either dark or pale brown with dark spots. The male snipe takes the first two chicks to hatch and leaves the nest with them. The female takes the last two and cares for them. Apparently the parents have no contact after that point.

Similar species:

American Woodcock, Long-billed Dowitcher, Short-billed Dowitcher.

Conservation Status:

Least concern. Common and widespread, but harder to see than other shorebirds.

Capture Rates:

Although consistently seen in the park, Wilson’s Snipe are not commonly captured preferring to stick to the more open and wet grassland areas surrounding the banding station, as is reflected by the capture of just two individuals. 

Molt Summary:

Preformative partial-incomplete, definitive prealternate partial, definitive prebasic complete.

Preformative includes most to all body feathers, a few to some proximal secondary coverts, 1-3 tertials, and usually 1-6 central rectrices.

Definitive prealternate includes to some to most body feathers and sometimes a few medial secondary coverts, but few if any tertials or rectrices.