Pin-tailed Snipe

Alternative name: Pintail Snipe

Photo by Peter Ericsson
Lumlukka, Thailand

Gallinago stenura

Identification

25-27 cm (9¾-10½ in)

• Mottled brown upperparts with cream lines
• Pale underparts
• Buff breast with streaks
• White belly
• Dark eye stripe, with lighter stripes above and below
• Greenish-grey legs
• Long straight dark bill
  

Sexes similar

Demonstrating the narrow tail feathers causing the name
Photo by peterarras
UAE December 2012 (click on photo to see large version)

Similar Species

Latham's Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe

Distribution

Breeds in Siberia; winters from South-east Asia to Indonesia and The Philippines.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species¹.

Habitat

Damp marshes and tundra.

Behaviour

Photo by SeeToh
Pulau Punggol Barat, December 2015

Breeding

They nest in a well-hidden location on the ground. Eggs are laid from late May to mid-June.

Diet

They forage in mud or soft soil, probing for insects molluscs, earthworms and larvae; some plant material, including seeds are also taken at times..

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved December 2015)
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Pin-tailed Snipe. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pin-tailed_Snipe

External Links

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