Latham's Snipe
Gallinago hardwickii
Long-billed skulking shorebird of muddy edges in freshwater wetlands. Breeds in Japan and spends the nonbreeding season mainly in eastern Australia. When disturbed it erupts from cover with loud "chek" call and zig-zags away in flight. Can be extremely hard to identify from other Australian snipes (Pin-tailed and Swinhoe's); when possible focus on length of toes trailing behind tail in flight (Latham's has almost no toes projecting behind tail).
Identification
The snipe is 29–33 cm long, with a wingspan of 50–54 cm and weight of 150–230 g.<p>It is identifiable as a Gallinago snipe by its cryptically-patterned black, brown, buff and white plumage but, in the field, it is not easily distinguished from Swinhoe's and pin-tailed snipe, though it is slightly larger.
Taxonomy
Genus: Gallinago; Family: Scolopacidae; Order: Charadriiformes.
- Scientific name
- Gallinago hardwickii
- Authority
- (Gray, JE, 1831)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Gallinago
Range and habitat
The snipe breeds mainly in Hokkaidō in northern Japan, with smaller numbers on Honshū, the eastern Russian mainland and Sakhalin and, historically, the Kurile Islands. The entire population migrates and spends the non-breeding season principally in eastern Australia, where it is the commonest Gallinago snipe. It has been recorded on migration in Taiwan, the Philippines and New Guinea, and is a rare straggler to New Zealand.<p>The snipe's breeding habitat in Asia includes alpine moorland, grasslands, rough pasture, young tree plantations and cultivated areas. Non-breeding habitat in Australia is shallow freshwater wetlands of various kinds, with bare mud or shallow water for feeding and nearby vegetation cover for shelter.
- Breeding range
- PAL : meadows and fields of temperate ne Palearctic: e Amurland and s Sakhalin (se Russia) and s Kuril Is. s through Honshu and ?Kyushu (n to s Japan)
- Non-breeding range
- AU : tropical to temperate freshwater wetlands: e Australia including Tasmania
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Collared Plover
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Uncommon, petite plover of beaches, coastal lagoons, lakeshores, gravel bars, and sandbars along rivers. Note slender black bill, brightly patterned head, narrow black breast band, and long pinkish legs. Despite the name, does not have white collar around back of neck like most small plovers. Typically found in pairs or as single birds; not in flocks like many other small plovers. At high tide they often roost with other plovers such as Wilson’s and Semipalmated plovers.
Fire-tailed Sunbird
Aethopyga ignicauda
Breeding male’s long bright red tail is unmistakable. Female is yellow-green with a grayish head and a rufous tinge to the tail. Immature and non-breeding males are similar to the female, but with a varying amount of bright red on the rump and tail. Breeds in high-altitude forests and scrub up to the treeline, favoring oak and coniferous forest with a rhododendron understory; winters down to around 600 meters, often in forest edge. Gives high thin buzzy calls and twitters.
Red-necked Spurfowl
Pternistis afer
Large, chunky francolin with bare red skin on the throat and around the eye. There is much geographical variation in the presence or extent of white on the face, black-and-white streaking below, and black on the belly. Found in a wide range of habitats, including moist savanna, grassland, thickets, cultivation, and forest edge. The call is a series of rough “krek” notes, sometimes with a rollicking introduction. Bare red throat separates it from most other francolins. In areas of overlap with Swainson’s or Gray-breasted Francolins, Red-necked can be identified by black-and-white striped underparts.
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