Swinhoe's Snipe or Pin-tailed Snipe, Jiangsu province, East of China (1 Viewer)

[deanman]

Please ID the Snipe, Swinhoe's or Pin-tailed? Think the flying one is pin-tailed snipe, but not sure the one on ground is Swinhoe's or Pin-tailed. Anyone have the way to ID? Tks.

 

[deanman]

Anyone have the good way to ID the Snipes for portrait?

 

[deanman]

Another one

 

[opisska]

I have heard people calling those "Swintailed Snipes" for brevity - and as a white flag. As far as I know, they can't be reliably IDed.

 

[Grahame Walbridge]

I have heard people calling those "Swintailed Snipes" for brevity - and as a white flag. As far as I know, they can't be reliably IDed.

Not so Jan. It is true most individual characters overlap, but a good view of the spread tail (taking particular note of the shape of the outer pairs of feathers) should be enough to confirm specific ID, preferably, supported by photographic evidence.

Since there is no view of the spread tail both birds must be assigned to 'Swintail' Snipe.

Essential reading-
https://britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V96/V96_N04/V96_N04_P178_198_A002.pdf

Pin-tailed/Swinhoe’s/Common Snipe

Grahame

 

[THE_FERN]

Yes not identifiable, although I was struck by the paleness of the initial image---which is consistent with pin-tailed afaik