Wood Snipe
Gallinago nemoricola
A rare and infrequently-seen snipe. Like others of its family, it is cryptically colored and intricately patterned with black, brown, and white. Strong, creamy-white markings on its back are especially striking, both when in flight and at rest. Breeds in wet alpine meadows and bogs and winters in forest pools and marshes. Its high-altitude range distinguishes it from most other snipes except Solitary Snipe, which is much grayer and ‘frostier’ in coloration, especially on the face and back.
Taxonomy
It was first described in 1836 by Brian Houghton Hodgson.
- Scientific name
- Gallinago nemoricola
- Authority
- Hodgson, 1836
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Gallinago
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- OR : alpine meadows and scrub of subtropical Asian mts.: w Himalayas from Himachal Pradesh to e India and sc China
- Non-breeding range
- OR : to lower-elevation wetlands and woodlands; rare to Indian Pen. and n se Asia
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Common Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Rather plain medium-sized warbler: warm brown above with narrow pale spectacles, pale buffy below. Can be very difficult to separate from other reed warbler species. Most populations breed in reed or sedge beds, both pure and mixed with bushes, often wandering to adjacent scrub and thickets. “Mangrove” Reed Warbler is a resident in mangroves along the Red Sea. Non-breeding migratory birds may wind up in a wide range of habitats, from marshes to mangroves, to acacia scrub and cultivation. Often heard but can be hard to see: prolonged song much like Sedge Warbler but more even-paced and melodic, without rough and jerky phrases. Calls include a low “chuk” and rattled “chrrt.”
Brown-breasted Parakeet
Pyrrhura calliptera
This medium-sized parakeet is restricted to the eastern Andes of central Colombia. Like other species in the genus, it is mostly green with a pointed tail. Look for the reddish-brown neck and breast with a scaly pattern, a maroon tail, and a bright yellow patch on the forewing. Small flocks occur in cloud forest from 1,800 to 3,000 m. Often seen in flight, but perches in the canopy to feed on fruit.
Eastern Shrike-tit
Falcunculus frontatus
Small bird with short, heavy bill. Green above, yellow below, with bold black-and-white head pattern. Male has black chin, female dark greenish. Found across south eastern and eastern Australia. Inhabits eucalypt woodlands and some wetter woodlands, where it tears bark noisily, looking for food. Song is loud and includes a descending three-part whistle. Also an accomplished mimic of many other species’ songs. Formerly treated as one of the geographically isolated subspecies of Crested Shrike-tit.
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