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Madagascar Snipe
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Gallinago
Species: G. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Near Threatened ( NT) is a Conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa which may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future although The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large Birds It includes about 350 Species and has members in all parts of the world "Sandpiper" redirects here For the 1965 film see The Sandpiper. A snipe is any of nearly 20 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. macrodactyla
Binomial name
Gallinago macrodactyla
Bonaparte, 1839

The Madagascar Snipe, Gallinago macrodactyla, is a small stocky wader. Charles Lucien (Carlo Jules Laurent Bonaparte 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano ( May 24, 1803 &ndash July 29, 1857) was a French Waders, called shorebirds in North America (where "wader" is used to refer to long-legged wading Birds such as Storks and It breeds only in the humid eastern half of Madagascar, from sea-level up to 2,700 m, being more common above 700 m. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern It is non-migratory. Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of Birds Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability

Contents

Description

This is a large and heavy snipe 29-32 cm long with a stocky body and relatively short legs for a wader. A snipe is any of nearly 20 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. Its upperparts, head and neck are streaked and patterned with bold dark brown stripes and gold edges to the feathers forming lines down its back. The belly is white, with some brown barring on the flanks but never on the belly. The blackish bill is very long, straight and fairly robust. The legs and feet are yellowish-olive to greenish-grey. The sexes are similar, and immature differ only in showing buff fringes on the wing coverts.

The Madagascar Snipe makes a hoarse hlip call as it takes off. In flight, it has a narrow grey trailing edge on the wing and a very dark underwing.

The Madagascar Snipe has never been recorded elsewhere, and no other snipe species have yet been recorded on Madagascar. Common Snipe is smaller, has a paler underwing, and a white trailing edges on the wing. The Common Snipe or Fantail Snipe ( Gallinago gallinago) is a small stocky shorebird. Pintail Snipe is similar in plumage to the Madagascan species, but is smaller, shorter-billed and shorter-tailed. The Pintail Snipe, Gallinago stenura, also known as the Pin-tailed Snipe, is a small stocky Wader. African Snipe is similar in build to the Madagascar Snipe, but has an obvious white trailing edge on the wing. The African Snipe, Gallinago nigripennis, also known as the Ethiopian Snipe, is a small stocky Wader. All the snipes that are potential vagrants to Madagascar have a faster, lighter flight than the resident species.

Behaviour

The Madagascar Snipe breeds in marshes, swamps, muddy areas, flooded fields and sometimes ricefields. Rice is a Cereal foodstuff which forms an important part of the diet of many people worldwide and as such it is a staple food for many It builds a saucer-shaped nest of dry grass in the drier areas of its breeding wetland. The nest is concealed in a dense tuft of grass or sedges. Breeding occurs from at least July to January.

This bird has a spectacular aerial display, which involves flying high in circles, followed by a powerful stoop during which the bird makes a drumming sound, caused by vibrations of modified outer tail feathers. Drumming (also called bleating) is a sound produced by Snipe as part of their courtship display flights

The Madagascar Snipe forages by pushing its long bill deep into the mud seeking invertebrates, such as insects and worms, seeds and plants. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described If alarmed, it freezes, and its cryptic plumage provides effective camouflage when the bird stands motionless amongst marsh vegetation. When flushed, it flies off with a zigzagging action.

Conservation status

This bird is uncommon, with the total population estimated at 1,800-7,500 individuals. It is found in small groups of 4-8.

The species is threatened by the increasing conversion of wetland-edge habitat to rice cultivation. For example, at the largest block of suitable wetland habitat in Madagascar, Lake Alaotra, 250 km² of the 350 km² surrounding the lake are now under rice production. The species is also threatened by hunting for food, for subsistence use or local trade.

References

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