Solitary Snipe
Gallinago solitaria
孤沙锥
Introduction
Small stocky wader (Gallinago solitaria) in the family Scolopacidae. Found in the Palearctic from northeast Iran to Korea and Japan. Breeds discontinuously in mountains of eastern Asia including eastern Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. Inhabits mountain bogs and river valleys above timberline at elevations from 2,400 to 5,000 meters. Notable for aerial display involving high circular flight followed by powerful stoop producing 'drumming' sound from modified tail feathers. Makes hoarse 'kensh' call on takeoff and far-carrying 'chok-a-chok-a' call during display.
Description
Large, heavy snipe measuring 29-31 cm in length with stocky body and relatively short legs. Upperparts, head, and neck streaked and patterned with medium brown stripes; whitish feather edges form lines down the back. Face is whitish. Breast is ginger-brown; belly is white with brown barring on flanks. Bill is long, straight, and fairly slender, brown and black in color. Legs and feet are yellowish-olive to yellowish-brown. All plumages are similar, though females average larger in size. Two subspecies exist: the widespread nominate G. s. solitaria and G. s. japonica, which is richer red with less white above and winters in Japan.
Distribution & Habitat
Breeds discontinuously in the mountains of eastern Asia across eastern Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. Many populations are sedentary in high mountains or move downhill during harsh weather. Migratory populations winter in northeast Iran, Pakistan, northern India, Bangladesh, eastern China, Korea, Japan, and Sakhalin. When not breeding or during migration, found in marshes and swamps at lower altitudes.
Behavior & Ecology
Breeds in mountain bogs and river valleys above timberline. Builds a saucer-shaped nest of dry grass concealed in dense grass or sedge tufts in drier areas of breeding wetlands. Performs aerial display involving high circular flight followed by powerful stoop producing 'drumming' sound from modified outer tail feathers. Forages by probing long bill deep into mud for invertebrates including insects and worms, seeds, and plants. Flight is relatively slow and heavy. When approached, crouches and relies on cryptic plumage for camouflage; when flushed, drops back into marsh after short slow flight.
Conservation
No IUCN assessment or population data provided in source.
Culture
No cultural significance or folklore information provided in source.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Gallinago
- eBird Code
- solsni1
Subspecies (2)
-
Gallinago solitaria japonica
breeds northeastern China to Kamchatka; winters Sakhalin and northern Japan southward to southeastern China
-
Gallinago solitaria solitaria
breeds Altai and Tien Shan mountains from south-central Russia and northeastern Kazakhstan to northern Mongolia; winters to eastern Afghanistan, Himalayas, northern Southeast Asia and west-central China
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.