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{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Taxobox
{{Distinguish|Wilson's phalarope}}
| image = Common snipe fencepost.jpg
{{Speciesbox
| image_width =
⚫
| image = Gallinago-delicata-002-cropped.jpg
| status = LC
| status = LC
| status_system = iucn3.1
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>{{IUCN2006|assessor=BirdLife International|assessor-link=BirdLife International|year=2005|id=49037|title=Gallinago delicata|downloaded=12 May 2006}}</ref>
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2020 |title=''Gallinago delicata'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T22729867A182637179 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22729867A182637179.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
⚫
| taxon = Gallinago delicata
| regnum = [[Animalia]]
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| authority = ([[George Ord|Ord]], 1825)
⚫
| synonyms = ''Gallinago gallinago delicata'' <small>Ord, 1825</small>
| classis = [[Aves]]
| range_map = Gallinago delicata map.svg
| subclassis = [[Neornithes]]
| infraclassis = [[Neognathae]]
| superordo = [[Neoaves]]
| ordo = [[Charadriiformes]]
| subordo = Scolopaci<!-- monotypic - don't link -->
| familia = [[Scolopacidae]]
⚫
| genus = ''[[Gallinago]]''
| species = '''''G. delicata'''''
⚫
| binomial = ''Gallinago delicata''
| binomial_authority = [[George Ord|Ord]], 1825
| synonyms =
⚫
''Gallinago gallinago delicata'' <small>Ord, 1825</small>
}}
}}


'''Wilson's snipe''' (''Gallinago delicata'') is a small, stocky [[wader|shorebird]].[https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/id] The genus name ''gallinago'' is [[New Latin]] for a [[woodcock]] or [[snipe]] from [[Latin]] ''gallina'', "hen" and the suffix ''-ago'', "resembling". The specific ''delicata'' is Latin for "dainty".<ref name=job>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages = 132, 170}}</ref>
'''Wilson's snipe''' ('''''Gallinago delicata''''') is a small, stocky [[wader|shorebird]].<ref name="allabout">{{cite web|title=Wilson's Snipe|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe|website=All About Birds|publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref> The [[genus|generic name]] ''Gallinago'' is [[Neo-Latin]] for a [[woodcock]] or [[snipe]] from [[Latin]] ''gallina'', "hen" and the suffix ''-ago'', "resembling". The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''delicata'' is Latin for "dainty".<ref name=job>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n132 132], 170}}</ref>


This [[species]] was considered to be a [[subspecies]] of the [[common snipe]] (''G. gallinago'') until 2003 when it was given its own species status, though not all authorities recognized this immediately.<ref>[http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22729867/additional Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) - BirdLife species factsheet]</ref> Wilson's snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white trailing edge to the wings, and eight pairs of [[Flight feather#Rectrices|tail feathers]] instead of the typical seven of the common snipe.<ref name=cornell>{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/lifehistory|title=Wilson’s Snipe|quote=The Wilson's Snipe typically has 16 tail feathers, whereas the common snipe has 14.|publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology}}</ref> Its common name commemorates the American ornithologist [[Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)|Alexander Wilson]].
This [[species]] was considered to be a [[subspecies]] of the [[common snipe]] (''G. gallinago'') until 2003 when it was given its own species status, though not all authorities recognized this immediately.<ref>[http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22729867/additional Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) - BirdLife species factsheet]</ref> Wilson's snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white trailing edge to the wings, and eight pairs of [[Flight feather#Rectrices|tail feathers]] instead of the typical seven of the common snipe.<ref name=cornell>{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/lifehistory|title=Wilson's Snipe|quote=The Wilson's Snipe typically has 16 tail feathers, whereas the common snipe has 14.|publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology}}</ref> Its common name commemorates the American ornithologist [[Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)|Alexander Wilson]].


==Description==
==Description==
Adults are {{convert|23|–|28|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length with a {{convert|39|–|45|cm|in|abbr=on}} wingspan. They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed.
Adults are {{convert|23|–|28|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length with a {{convert|39|–|45|cm|in|abbr=on}} wingspan. Weight ranges from {{convert|2.8|-|5.2|oz|g|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wilson's Snipe Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/id|access-date=2020-09-30|website=www.allaboutbirds.org|language=en}}</ref> They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed.


==Breeding and habits==
==Breeding and habits==
[[File:Wilson's Snipe Bolivar Peninsula TX 2018-03-25 14-38-06 (40145639795).jpg|left|thumb|260px|Wilson's snipe feeding]]

⚫
They breed in [[marsh]]es, [[bog]]s, [[tundra]] and wet meadows in [[Canada]] and the northern [[United States]] and on the [[Chukchi Peninsula]], Russia. They are year-round residents on the U.S. [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific coast]]. The eastern population [[bird migration|migrates]] to the southern United States, the [[Caribbean]], and to northern [[South America]]. It may be that [[global warming|climate change]] causes these birds to move to their breeding range earlier and leave later than 100 years ago. In [[Ohio]] for example, late April was recorded as an average migration date in 1906, but now most of the local population is present on the breeding grounds by then already.<ref name = henninger1906/><ref name=OOS/><!-- only references last sentence -->
[[File:Wilson's-Snipe (Gallinago delicata), Lamoille, Nevada, USA.jpg|left|thumb|260px|Wilson's Snipe near [[Lamoille, Nevada|Lamoille]], [[Nevada]]]]
⚫
They breed in [[marsh]]es, [[bog]]s, [[tundra]] and wet meadows in [[Canada]] and the northern [[United States]]. They are year-round residents on the U.S. [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific coast]]. The eastern population [[bird migration|migrates]] to the southern United States and to northern [[South America]]. It may be that [[global warming|climate change]] causes these birds to move to their breeding range earlier and leave later than 100 years ago. In [[Ohio]] for example, late April was recorded as an average migration date in 1906, but now most of the local population is present on the breeding grounds by then already.<ref name = henninger1906/><ref name=OOS/><!-- only references last sentence -->


They forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight and eating [[insect]]s, [[earthworm]]s, and plant material. Well-camouflaged, they are usually shy and conceal themselves close to ground vegetation, flushing only when approached closely. They fly off in a series of aerial zig-zags to confuse predators.
They forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight and eating [[insect]]s, [[earthworm]]s, and plant material. Well-camouflaged, they are usually shy and conceal themselves close to ground vegetation, flushing only when approached closely. They fly off in a series of aerial zig-zags to confuse predators.


The male performs "winnowing" display during courtship, flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a [[drumming (snipe)|distinctive sound]]. They have been observed "winnowing" throughout the day and long into the night. The "winnowing" sound is similar to the call of a [[boreal owl]]. They nest in a well-hidden location on the ground.
The male performs "winnowing" display during courtship, flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a [[drumming (snipe)|distinctive sound]]. They have been observed "winnowing" throughout the day and long into the night. The "winnowing" sound is similar to the call of a [[boreal owl]].<ref name="allabout"/> They nest in a well-hidden location on the ground.<ref name="allabout"/>


==Population==
==Population==
The Wilson's snipe was reduced near the end of the 19th century by hunting and [[habitat destruction]]. However, this bird remains fairly common and not considered threatened by the [[IUCN]]. It is apparently less tolerant of habitat destruction than the [[American woodcock]], declining markedly when faced with large-scale draining of marshland.<ref name = henninger1906/>
Wilson's snipe was reduced near the end of the 19th century by hunting and [[habitat destruction]]. However, this bird remains fairly common and not considered threatened by the [[IUCN]], although local populations are sensitive to large-scale draining of wetland.<ref name="allabout"/><ref name = henninger1906/>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category|Gallinago delicata|Wilson's Snipe}}
{{Commons category|Gallinago delicata|Wilson's Snipe}}
{{wikispecies|Gallinago delicata}}
{{Wikispecies|Gallinago delicata}}
*[http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wilsons_Snipe.html Wilson's snipe species account] – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
*[https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe Wilson's snipe species account] – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
* {{Avibase|name=Gallinago delicata}}
* {{Avibase|name=Gallinago delicata}}
* {{VIREO|Wilson's+Snipe|Wilson's snipe}}
* {{VIREO|Wilson's+Snipe|Wilson's snipe}}


{{North American Game}}
{{North American Game}}
{{Scolopacidae|2}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q64927}}
{{taxonbar}}


[[Category:Gallinago]]
[[Category:Gallinago]]
[[Category:Snipes]]
[[Category:Native birds of Alaska]]
[[Category:Animals described in 1825]]
[[Category:Birds of Canada]]
[[Category:Birds of the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Birds of the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Northwestern United States]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Northeastern United States]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1825]]
[[Category:Taxa named by George Ord]]

Latest revision as of 12:36, 16 August 2024

Not to be confused with Wilson's phalarope.

Wilson's snipe
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Gallinago
Species:
G. delicata
Binomial name
Gallinago delicata
(Ord, 1825)
Synonyms

Gallinago gallinago delicata Ord, 1825

Wilson's snipe (Gallinago delicata) is a small, stocky shorebird.[2] The generic name Gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling". The specific name delicata is Latin for "dainty".[3]

This species was considered to be a subspecies of the common snipe (G. gallinago) until 2003 when it was given its own species status, though not all authorities recognized this immediately.[4] Wilson's snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white trailing edge to the wings, and eight pairs of tail feathers instead of the typical seven of the common snipe.[5] Its common name commemorates the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson.

Description

[edit]

Adults are 23–28 cm (9.1–11.0 in) in length with a 39–45 cm (15–18 in) wingspan. Weight ranges from 2.8–5.2 oz (79–147 g).[6] They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed.

Breeding and habits

[edit]
Wilson's snipe feeding

They breed in marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows in Canada and the northern United States and on the Chukchi Peninsula, Russia. They are year-round residents on the U.S. Pacific coast. The eastern population migrates to the southern United States, the Caribbean, and to northern South America. It may be that climate change causes these birds to move to their breeding range earlier and leave later than 100 years ago. In Ohio for example, late April was recorded as an average migration date in 1906, but now most of the local population is present on the breeding grounds by then already.[7][8]

They forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight and eating insects, earthworms, and plant material. Well-camouflaged, they are usually shy and conceal themselves close to ground vegetation, flushing only when approached closely. They fly off in a series of aerial zig-zags to confuse predators.

The male performs "winnowing" display during courtship, flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a distinctive sound. They have been observed "winnowing" throughout the day and long into the night. The "winnowing" sound is similar to the call of a boreal owl.[2] They nest in a well-hidden location on the ground.[2]

Population

[edit]

Wilson's snipe was reduced near the end of the 19th century by hunting and habitat destruction. However, this bird remains fairly common and not considered threatened by the IUCN, although local populations are sensitive to large-scale draining of wetland.[2][7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Gallinago delicata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22729867A182637179. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22729867A182637179.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Wilson's Snipe". All About Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  3. ^ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 132, 170. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. ^ Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) - BirdLife species factsheet
  5. ^ "Wilson's Snipe". Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Wilson's Snipe typically has 16 tail feathers, whereas the common snipe has 14.
  6. ^ "Wilson's Snipe Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  7. ^ a b Henninger, W.F. (1906). "A preliminary list of the birds of Seneca County, Ohio" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin. 18 (2): 47–60.
  8. ^ Ohio Ornithological Society (2004). Annotated Ohio state checklist.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Bezener, A. (2000). Birds of Ontario p. 149. Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton.

Identification

[edit]
  • Carey, Geoff and Urban Olsson (1995). Field identification of Common, Wilson's, Pintail and Swinhoe's Snipes. Birding World 8(5): 179–190.
  • Leader, Paul (1999). Identification forum: Common Snipe and Wilson's Snipe Birding World 12(9): 371–4.
  • Reid, Marin (2008). Identification of Wilson's and Common Snipe British Birds 101(4): 189–200.

European occurrences

[edit]
  • Bland, Bryan (1998). The Wilson's Snipe on the Isles of Scilly. Birding World 11(10): 382–5.
  • Bland, Bryan (1999). The Wilson's Snipe on the Isles of Scilly revisited. Birding World 12(2): 56–61.
  • Legrand, Vincent (2005). Identification of a Wilson's Snipe on Ouessant, Finistere. Birding World 18(11): 482–4.
  • Lidster, James (2007). The Wilson's Snipe on the Isles of Scilly. Birding World 20(10):432-5.
  • Millington, Richard (2008). The Wilson's Snipe on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. Birding World 21(11): 467–9.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wilson's Snipe.
Wikispecies has information related to Gallinago delicata.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Wilson%27s_snipe&oldid=1240627031"