Gallinago
Encyclopedia
Gallinago is a genus of bird
s in the wader
family Scolopacidae
, containing 16 species. This genus contains the majority of the world's snipe
species
, the other three extant genera being Coenocorypha
, with two species, and Lymnocryptes, the Jack Snipe. Morphologically, they are all similar, with a very long slender bill and cryptic plumage
. Most have distinctive displays, usually given at dawn or dusk. They search for invertebrate
s in the mud with a "sewing-machine" action of their long bills.
Fossil bones of some undescribed Gallinago species most similar to the Great Snipe
have been recovered in Late Miocene
or Early Pliocene
deposits (c. 5 mya) of Lee Creek Mine, USA.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
family Scolopacidae
Scolopacidae
The sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
, containing 16 species. This genus contains the majority of the world's snipe
Snipe
A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, the other three extant genera being Coenocorypha
Coenocorypha
Coenocorypha is a genus of tiny birds in the sandpiper family, also known as the New Zealand snipes, which are now only found on New Zealand's outlying islands. There are currently six extinct species and three living species, with the Subantarctic Snipe having three subspecies, including the...
, with two species, and Lymnocryptes, the Jack Snipe. Morphologically, they are all similar, with a very long slender bill and cryptic plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
. Most have distinctive displays, usually given at dawn or dusk. They search for invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s in the mud with a "sewing-machine" action of their long bills.
Species in taxonomic order
- Solitary SnipeSolitary SnipeThe Solitary Snipe, Gallinago solitaria, is a small stocky wader. It breeds discontinuously in the mountains of eastern Asia, in eastern Russia, Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. Many birds are sedentary in the high mountains, or just move downhill in hard weather, but others are migratory,...
, Gallinago solitaria - Latham's SnipeLatham's SnipeLatham's Snipe, Gallinago hardwickii, also known as Japanese Snipe, is a medium-sized , long-billed, migratory wader.-Identification:...
, Gallinago hardwickii - Wood SnipeWood SnipeThe Wood Snipe is a species of snipe which breeds in the Himalayas of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and southern China. In winter, it occurs at lower altitudes in the Himalayas, as a regular visitor in small numbers to north Vietnam...
, Gallinago nemoricola - Pin-tailed Snipe, Gallinago stenura
- Swinhoe's SnipeSwinhoe's SnipeSwinhoe's Snipe, Gallinago megala, also known as Forest Snipe or Chinese Snipe, is a medium-sized , long-billed, migratory wader.-Identification:...
, Gallinago megala - African SnipeAfrican SnipeThe African Snipe, Gallinago nigripennis, also known as the Ethiopian Snipe, is a small stocky wader. It breeds in eastern and southern Africa in wet mountain moorland and swamps at altitudes of 1700 - 4000m. When not breeding it disperses widely, including into coastal lowlands.-Description:This...
, Gallinago nigripennis - Madagascar SnipeMadagascar SnipeThe Madagascar Snipe, Gallinago macrodactyla, is a small stocky wader. It breeds only in the humid eastern half of Madagascar, from sea-level up to 2,700 m, being more common above 700 m. It is non-migratory.-Description:...
, Gallinago macrodactyla - Great SnipeGreat SnipeThe Great Snipe, Gallinago media is a small stocky wader in the genus Gallinago.This bird's breeding habitat is marshes and wet meadows with short vegetation in north-eastern Europe including north-western Russia. Great Snipes are migratory, wintering in Africa...
, Gallinago media - Common SnipeCommon SnipeThe Common Snipe is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. The breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout northern Europe and northern Asia...
, Gallinago gallinago - Wilson's SnipeWilson's SnipeWilson's Snipe is a small, stocky shorebird. This species was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Common Snipe, G. gallinago. Wilson's Snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white edge to the wings, and eight pairs of tail feathers instead of seven.Adults are...
, Gallinago delicata - South American SnipeSouth American SnipeThe South American Snipe or Magellan Snipe, Gallinago paraguaiae, is a small, stocky wader. Its taxonomic position is complicated, sometimes treated as a race of Common Snipe...
, Gallinago paraguaiae - Puna SnipePuna SnipeThe Puna Snipe, Gallinago andina, is a small, stocky wader. It breeds in the Andes of northern Peru to northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the South American Snipe.-Description:...
, Gallinago andina - Noble SnipeNoble SnipeThe Noble Snipe, Gallinago nobilis, is a small stocky wader. It breeds in the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela above or just below the treeline. It is entirely sedentary.-Description:...
, Gallinago nobilis - Giant SnipeGiant SnipeThe Giant Snipe, Gallinago undulata, is a stocky wader. It breeds in South America. The nominate subspecies G. u. undulata occurs in two distinct areas, one in Colombia, and the other from Venezuela through Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana to extreme north-eastern Brazil. The southern...
, Gallinago undulata - Fuegian SnipeFuegian SnipeThe Fuegian Snipe, Gallinago stricklandii, also known as the Cordilleran Snipe, is a small stocky wader. It breeds in south-central Chile and Argentina south to Tierra del Fuego. It is mainly sedentary, but the Tierra del Fuego population winters in mainland Chile.It is sporadically recorded in...
, Gallinago stricklandii - Andean SnipeAndean SnipeThe Andean Snipe, Gallinago jamesoni, is a small, stocky wader. It breeds in the Andes in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. It appears to be entirely sedentary, with no evidence of migration....
, Gallinago jamesoni - Imperial SnipeImperial SnipeThe Imperial Snipe, Gallinago imperialis, is a small stocky wader which breeds in the Andes. For a century it was known only from two specimens collected near Bogotá, Colombia, and was presumed extinct, but it was rediscovered in Peru in 1967 and Ecuador in 1988...
, Gallinago imperialis
Fossil bones of some undescribed Gallinago species most similar to the Great Snipe
Great Snipe
The Great Snipe, Gallinago media is a small stocky wader in the genus Gallinago.This bird's breeding habitat is marshes and wet meadows with short vegetation in north-eastern Europe including north-western Russia. Great Snipes are migratory, wintering in Africa...
have been recovered in Late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
or Early Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
deposits (c. 5 mya) of Lee Creek Mine, USA.