Snipe

A regulatory name for snipe; Wilson's Snipe is the representative North American bird.

Field guide

A regulatory name for snipe; Wilson's Snipe is the representative North American bird.

Identification

Shared features

Small mottled shorebird with a very long straight bill and striped head.

Male

Representative Wilson's snipe: both sexes are mottled brown with a striped head and very long straight bill. Males display with a winnowing flight sound, but plumage rarely separates them.

Female

Representative Wilson's snipe females look very similar, sometimes with a longer bill. Variation overlaps and juveniles are similar, so a lone bird cannot be confidently sexed by sight.

Habitat

Wet meadows, sedge marshes and muddy freshwater edges.

Where to look during the day

Morning

At dawn, scan damp meadow edges and listen for display sounds in season.

Afternoon

In the afternoon, birds may probe quietly in dense sedges and be hard to spot.

Evening

At dusk, watch low flights over wet meadows and listen for calls.

Sounds

Wilson's Snipe gives a harsh flight call and a wavering display sound made by tail feathers.

Recorded calls

Wilson’s snipe (representative)

Field recording of a Wilson's snipe, representing this regulatory group. A narrower call type or the caller's sex is not assigned to this clip.

Doug Hynes · Recording source

Natural history source: Read the source

Bag limits

Bag and possession summaries.

Daily: 10Possession: 30

Official bag-limit source