Wilson’s Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Until 2003, we called the Wilson’s Snipe the Common Snipe. That year, science recognised as its own species. These birds breed over much of the northern USA and to the Arctic tundra. We believe the northern Rocky Mountain states and the Pacific Northwest host these birds year-round, while most of their population migrates after breeding to the southern half of the USA, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and sometimes to northern South America.
Today, science regards the Wilson’s Snipe as monotypic (i.e. no subspecies).
The winnowing sounds made during flight are memorable, though not a vocalization. Rather, while flying at 25 miles per hour, it is wind over the outer tail feathers that causes this sound. When Wilson’s Snipe put their minds to it, they can fly at speeds up to sixty miles per hour.
Like other shorebird species with long bills, these birds can open and close the tips of their bills while probing the mud at full depths, and consume their invertebrate prey while their buried bills are deep in the mud. Like several other shorebird species, their eyes are placed farther back on their heads, enabling them to see behind them and see predators, even when their beaks are buried deep in the mud.
I met my first Wilson’s Snipe in December 2004 while visiting the Salton Sea in southeastern California. Since then, I’ve enjoyed meetings in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and various California locations, including in the creeks of my Poway hometown.
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: (Gallinago delicata) Wintering birds at Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County USA 2010-01-06. |
Date Taken: 2010:01:06 14:25 |
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Location:
Poway Creek |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/750 |
File Name: Cut_JCD5083.WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2010 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Part of the collection at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology in Camarillo, California USA 2011-11-01. |
Date Taken: 2011:11:01 14:56 |
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Location:
W F V Z |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 105 mm, f/8.0, 1/1 |
File Name: D3X4555-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Part of the collection at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology in Camarillo, California USA 2011-11-01. |
Date Taken: 2011:11:01 14:55 |
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Location:
W F V Z |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 105 mm, f/8.0, 1/1 |
File Name: D3X4551-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Loafing on the marsh at Vendel Road, Salton Sea NWR and Vicinity. Imperial County, California USA 2004-12-22. |
Date Taken: 2004:12:22 11:02 |
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Location:
Salton Sea |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/10.0, 1/400 |
File Name: JCD_2223WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2004 Jack Daynes, www.shadetree-imaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Loafing on the marsh at Vendel Road, Salton Sea NWR and Vicinity. Imperial County, California USA 2004-12-22. |
Date Taken: 2004:12:22 10:47 |
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Location:
Salton Sea |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.5, 1/320 |
File Name: JCD_2207WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2004 Jack Daynes, www.shadetree-imaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Out for a stroll at Merced NWR, south of Merced, California USA 2011-12-27. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:27 13:30 |
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Location:
Merced NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X4907-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Wintering birds at Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County USA 2010-01-06. |
Date Taken: 2010:01:06 14:25 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/750 |
File Name: JCD5083.WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2010 Jack Daynes, www.shadetree-imaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Wintering birds at Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County USA 2010-01-06. |
Date Taken: 2010:01:06 14:23 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/750 |
File Name: JCD5068.WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2010 Jack Daynes, www.shadetree-imaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Wintering birds at Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County USA 2010-01-06. |
Date Taken: 2010:01:06 14:22 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: JCD5063.WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2010 Jack Daynes, www.shadetree-imaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Wintering birds at Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County USA 2012-12-14. |
Date Taken: 2012:12:14 15:15 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 |
File Name: D3X9735-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Wintering birds at Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County USA 2012-12-14. |
Date Taken: 2012:12:14 15:09 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/50 |
File Name: D3X9689-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Wintering birds at Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County USA 2012-12-14. |
Date Taken: 2012:12:14 15:06 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 |
File Name: D3X9665-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Wintering birds at Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County USA 2012-12-14. |
Date Taken: 2012:12:14 15:06 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 |
File Name: D3X9658-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Wintering birds at Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County USA 2012-12-14. |
Date Taken: 2012:12:14 14:58 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/200 |
File Name: D3X9601-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: This bird was almost too close for my lens to focus at the Visitor Center on the north edge of Jackson, Wyoming. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:16 19:16 |
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Location:
Jackson Visitor Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X2991-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: This bird was almost too close for my lens to focus at the Visitor Center on the north edge of Jackson, Wyoming. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:16 19:16 |
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Location:
Jackson Visitor Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X2997-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: While enjoying my meeting with the Bobolink, this bold bird chose the moment to pose. Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2022:10:04 0:55 |
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Camera Information: |
File Name: D3X4504-WilsonsSnipe-scaled |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:25 9:21 |
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Location:
Bitterroot Court |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X4529-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: While enjoying my meeting with the Bobolink, this bold bird chose the moment to pose. Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:25 9:15 |
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Location:
Bitterroot Court |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X4488-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Vendel Road is also known as Unit #1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. It occupies the agricultural and marsh lands at the southern tip of the Salton Sea near Westmorland in Imperial County. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:28 15:07 |
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Location:
Vendel Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/4000 |
File Name: WilsonsSnipe_D5X6770-VendelRoad-SaltonSea |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Foraging in a flooded field late one afternoon at Unit 1 (Vendel Road), Salton Sea NWR in Imperial County California. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:10 15:21 |
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Location:
Vendel Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: WilsonsSnipe_D5X9489-VendelRoad |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Mule Deer and Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: The deer startled the Wilson's Snipe, and the snipe startled the deer. Malheur NWR is in southeastern Oregon, west of Steens Mountains and south of Burns Oregon. Harney County. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:30 6:52 |
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Location:
Visitor Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: MuleDeerSnipe_D5X8320-MalheurNWR |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2012:12:14 15:21 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/160 |
File Name: D3X9743-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Foraging in a flooded field late one afternoon at Unit 1 (Vendel Road), Salton Sea NWR in Imperial County California. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:10 15:29 |
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Location:
Vendel Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: WilsonsSnipe_D5X9505-VendelRoad |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2012:12:14 15:04 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 |
File Name: D3X9630-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2012:12:14 15:03 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 |
File Name: D3X9623-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Wilson's Snipe(Gallinago delicata) |
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Description: Poway Creek, above Carriage Road foot bridge. Poway California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2012:12:14 14:43 |
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Location:
Poway Royal Mobile Estates |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 |
File Name: D3X9565-WilsonsSnipe |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
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