Sandpipers, Snipes and Phalaropes (Scolopacidae)
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) - HBW 3, p. 496
French: Bécassine des marais
German: Bekassine
Spanish: Agachadiza Común
Other common names: Fantail/Wilson Snipe
Taxonomy: Scolopax Gallinago Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.
Genus formerly named Capella, as this name erroneously considered to pre-date Gallinago (see page 446). Forms superspecies with G. paraguaiae and perhaps G. nigripennis, which are sometimes included as subspecies of present species, but differences in size, outer tail feathers and quality of aerial “winnowing” suggest separate species status; G. macrodactyla may also belong to superspecies. Race delicata may constitute separate species; has 16 tail feathers, as opposed to usually 14 (sometimes 12, 16 or 18) in nominate; both forms breed nearby in .. View all taxonomy...
Genus formerly named Capella, as this name erroneously considered to pre-date Gallinago (see page 446). Forms superspecies with G. paraguaiae and perhaps G. nigripennis, which are sometimes included as subspecies of present species, but differences in size, outer tail feathers and quality of aerial “winnowing” suggest separate species status; G. macrodactyla may also belong to superspecies. Race delicata may constitute separate species; has 16 tail feathers, as opposed to usually 14 (sometimes 12, 16 or 18) in nominate; both forms breed nearby in Aleutians. Three subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- faeroeensis (C. L. Brehm, 1831) - Iceland, Faeroes, Orkney and Shetland; winters in British Is.
- gallinago (Linnaeus, 1758) - British Is, Scandinavia and W Europe through NC Eurasia to Kamchatka and W Aleutians, with isolated population from NE Afghanistan to N India; winters from W Europe, Mediterranean and equatorial Africa through Middle East, Arabia and Indian Subcontinent to E China, S Korea, S Japan, Philippines and W Indonesia.
- delicata (Ord, 1825) - E Aleutians and Alaska E through Canada to Newfoundland, and S to C California, New Mexico, C Iowa and New Jersey; winters from NW & C USA through Central America and Greater Antilles to N South America.
- Least Concern
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Foraging out in the open on the edge of a small freshwater pool. Ventura County, California, USA (ssp delicata)
Don DesJardin 8 October 2008 1 year ago 39 sec 4.8 -
Two birds feeding on wet grass Tauste, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain (ssp gallinago)
Jesús Laborda 9 October 2005 3 years ago 19 sec 4.7 -
A close-up of a bird Parikkala, Southern Finland Province, Finland
Javier Ortas 23 July 2010 2 weeks ago ADDED LAST MONTH 31 sec 4.5 -
A bird feeding in a marsh Ebro Delta, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain (ssp gallinago)
Pedro Rubio 1994 7 years ago 14 sec 4.3 -
A bird preening. El Pardo, Madrid, Spain (ssp gallinago)
Javier Ortas 22 September 2007 2 years ago 21 sec 4.2 -
A bird feeding on mud Tauste, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain (ssp gallinago)
Jesús Laborda 9 October 2005 3 years ago 12 sec 4.2
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Standing in shallow farmland pond. Long Valley, Hong Kong
Bob Thompson 16 December 2007 1 year ago 4.3 -
Just standing Abu Nakhla ponds, Qatar
John A Thompson 11 November 2008 11 weeks ago 4.3 -
on the wetlands near Poznan (central Poland) Poland
kblach 18 September 2009 49 weeks ago 4.2 -
Wilson's Snipe taking a break from dispaying on a fence post. Jackson County, Colorado, USA (ssp delicata)
Mike Ross 30 May 2010 10 weeks ago 4 -
A bird standing. Eilat, Israel
Laurent Demongin 12 October 2005 1 year ago 4 -
Winter visitor Chhari Fulay village, Kutch District, Gujarat, India
jugal Tiwari 11 September 2008 9 weeks ago 3.8
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In flight, typical call. Essonne, France
(ssp gallinago)
Julien Rochefort 14 November 2006 38 weeks ago 3
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