Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Also known as: Snipe
About This Species
A stocky, cryptically patterned shorebird found in wet meadows, marshes and boggy fields, most often flushed underfoot before it zigzags away low over the vegetation. It is most active at dawn and dusk, when its long bill probes soft mud for invertebrates, and the male's winnowing display flight over breeding wetlands is a distinctive spring sound. Wet grasslands and muddy pond edges in early morning or evening offer the best chance of a sighting.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep a comfortable distance and avoid pushing into dense marsh vegetation where birds may be sitting tight on a nest or roosting; flushing a bird repeatedly wastes energy it needs for feeding or incubation.
- Wetland birds and their habitats often fall under general wildlife protection statutes, so avoid trampling nesting or roosting areas, particularly during the breeding season.
- If a bird flushes unexpectedly, retreat quietly rather than following it.
LCAvesCharadriiformesScolopacidae
Seasonal Activity
1,472,467 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.