Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Gallinago ("woodcock/snipe") delicata ("dainty")

Adult Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) at Anchorage, Alaska, USA - August 2024

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 80-147g  /  Length: 23-28cm  /  Wingspan: 39-45cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The most common snipe species of North America and a close relation of the common snipe, Wilson's Snipe breeds widely across the majority of Canada and Winters largely in the Southern United States down through to South America. As with other snipe species, they specialise in using ther long beak to probe into deep mud for invertibrates.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Gallinago
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES - Breeds in Alaska and the Northern part of the Midwest, Winters in the Southern states.
 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: One at Potter's Marsh Boardwalk, Anchorage, Alaska

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

.

Pin-tailed Snipe (Gallinago stenura)

OTHER NAMES: Pintail Snipe
Latin Etymology: Gallinago ("woodcock/snipe") stenura ("narrow tailed")

Two adult Pint-tailed Snipe (Gallinago stenura) at Phnom Krom, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 115g  /  Length: 25-27cm  /  Wingspan: 44-47cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

While the Common Snipe is distributed right the way across Eurasia, in the East there is a wider variety of snipe species of which the Pintail in the most common migrant.  Snipe identification is, if I'm honest, not the easiest thing in the world - they are all similarly shaped, similarly cryptically patterned birds and you probably need a bit of an experience to get the knack down, so I'm happy to defer to ours guide from the Cambodia Bird Guide Association in identifying these as Pin-tailed.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Gallinago
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer name: ខ្វែកត្រោកកន្ទុយម្ជុល ("needle tail")

Locally fairly common Winter visitor

SINGAPORE / CAMBODIA 2019 TRIP - Several at Phnom Krom

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

OTHER NAMES: Snipe

Latin Etymology: Gallinago ("woodcock/snipe") gallinago ("woodcock/snipe")

Adult Common Snipe (subspecies G. g. faeroeensis) at Summer Leys Reserve, Northants - March 2022

Featured Subspecies: Gallinago gallinago faeroeensis
Weight: 80-140g  /  Length: 25-27cm  /  Wingspan: 44-47cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Snipe are one of the more secretive waders - they tend to be seen mostly at the edge of reed-beds or cover, at least unless they have no choice. That being said, they are much less skulking than the Water Rail, of for that matter, their two closest relations in the UK - the Jack Snipe or Woodcock, and more numerous. In general photographing them shouldn't be impossible if you find a site which is good for them. Rainham in late summer gave me a good haul.

Related Species:

Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Gallinago
Subspecies: G. g. faeroeensis, G. g. gallinago

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Locally common breeding species (80,000 pairs)and common but secretive Wintering species (1,100,000 birds)

 - Birds seen at Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes, Pitsford Reservoir and Ditchford Gravel Pits.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .