Gallinago stenura
The Pin-tailed Snipe (Gallinago stenura) is a medium-sized, highly cryptic wading bird belonging to the family Scolopacidae, renowned for its challenging identification among its congeners. Averaging 25-27 cm in length with a wingspan of approximately 40-45 cm, it possesses a stout body, remarkably long bill, and relatively short legs, all adapted for probing soft substrates. Its plumage is a masterclass in camouflage, featuring dark brown upperparts intricately streaked and mottled with buff...
Typically found in freshwater wetlands, including wet grasslands, bogs, marshes, rice paddies, and damp meadows, often with scattered low vegetation. It prefers open or semi-open areas, primarily at low to moderate elevations but can occur at higher altitudes during migration and in parts of its ...
Primarily consists of various invertebrates, including insect larvae, earthworms, snails, and crustaceans, extracted by probing soft mud. Some plant material, such as seeds, is also consumed opportunistically.
Pin-tailed Snipes are predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal, spending daylight hours hidden within dense vegetation and becoming active at dusk and dawn. They forage by rhythmically probing their long bills deep into soft mud or shallow water, using sensitive nerve endings in their bill tip to ...
The Pin-tailed Snipe breeds across the northern Palearctic, specifically in the vast taiga and forest-steppe zones of Siberia, extending eastward from the Yenisei River basin, through Mongolia, and into parts of northern China. After the breeding season, it undertakes extensive southward migratio...
Least Concern
- The 'pin-tail' refers to its seven outermost pairs of tail feathers, which are unusually stiff and narrow, creating a unique sound during display flights. - These specialized tail feathers can be easily felt and counted by hand, a key feature for identifying the species in hand from similar sni...