Pin-tailed Snipe
Gallinago stenura
Cryptic shorebird of wetlands, wet meadows, and both flooded and dry agricultural fields. Extremely similar in appearance to other snipe, particularly Swinhoe's Snipe; careful study and photography usually required to confirm identification. Namesake diagnostic thin gray outer tail feathers are only visible when tail is spread. Lacks Common Snipe's eye-catching white trailing edge of the wing. Averages less buffy than both Common and Swinhoe's, with slightly bolder white edgings to the wing feathers; darker and more richly colored than Latham's Snipe. In flight, toes project further beyond tail than in other Asian snipe. When flushed, gives a rasping call that is not as loud as Common Snipe’s call; also flies less erratically than that species.
Identification
This 25–27 cm long bird is similar to the longer-billed and longer-tailed common snipe. Adults have short greenish-grey legs and a long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top, with cream lines down their back. They are pale underneath with a streaked buff breast and white belly. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. Sexes are similar, and immatures differ only in minor plumage details.<p>The wings are less pointed than common snipe, and lack the white trailing edge of that species. The shorter tail and flatter flight path when flushed also made flight separation from Common relatively easy.<p>Male pin-tailed snipes often display in a group, with a loud repetitive tcheka song which has a crescendo of fizzing and buzzing sounds, and also whistling noises produced in flight by the pin-like outer tail feathers which give this species its English name. The normal call is a weak squik.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Gallinago stenura
- Authority
- (Bonaparte, 1831)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Gallinago
Range and habitat
It breeds in northern Russia and migrates to spend the non-breeding season in southern Asia from Pakistan to Indonesia. It is the most common migrant snipe in southern India, Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia. It is a vagrant to north-western and northern Australia, and to Kenya in East Africa. Its breeding habitat is damp marshes and tundra in Arctic and boreal Russia. Birds in their non-breeding range use a variety of wetlands, often with common snipe, but may be found also in drier habitats than their relative. They nest in a well-hidden location on the ground.<p>These birds forage in mud or soft soil, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and earthworms, but also some plant material.
- Breeding range
- PAL : low Arctic tundra to temperate montane meadows of nc, ne Palearctic: nw Siberia and ne Kazakhstan and n Mongolia to c Chukotskiy Pen. to Sea of Okhotsk (e Siberia)
- Non-breeding range
- OR : inland wetlands of subtropical to tropical Oriental region: s, se Arabian Pen., s, se Asia, Greater Sundas, se China, Taiwan, Korean Pen., Ryukyu Is. (s Japan)
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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