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| Gallinago solitaria Hodgson, 1831 |
The Solitary Snipe, Gallinago solitaria, is a small stocky wader. Brian Houghton Hodgson ( February 1, 1800 – May 23, 1894) was an early naturalist and Ethnologist working in British Waders, called shorebirds in North America (where "wader" is used to refer to long-legged wading Birds such as Storks and It breeds discontinuously in the mountains of eastern Asia, in eastern Russia, Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Many birds are sedentary in the high mountains, or just move downhill in hard weather, but others are non-migratory, wintering in northeast Iran, Pakistan, northern India and Japan. 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 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. It is a vagrant to Saudi Arabia, eastern India and Hong Kong. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders
Description
This is a large and heavy snipe 29-31 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 medium brown stripes and whitish edges to the feathers forming lines down its back. The face is whitish. The breast is ginger-brown and the belly is white with brown barring on the flanks. The brown and black bill is long, straight and fairly slender. The legs and feet are yellowish-olive to yellowish-brown. All plumages are similar, but females average larger.
There are two quite similar subspecies. Nominate G. s. solitaria is very widespread. The breeding range of G. s. japonica, which is richer red and less white above, is unknown, but it winters in Japan.
The Solitary Snipe makes a hoarse kensh call as it takes off, and has a far carrying chok-a-chok-a call when displayinging.
The Solitary Snipe can be distinguished from other snipe by its ginger breast, whitish face and white lines on its back. It has a relatively slow, heavy flight.
Behaviour
This snipe breeds in mountain bogs and river valleys above the timberline,typically from 2,400 m to 5000 m. It is often found in similar marshes and swamps at lower altitudes when not breeding or on migration.
The Solitary Snipe 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.
This bird has an 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 Solitary 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 It is quite approachable, but if alarmed, it crouches, and its cryptic plumage provides effective camouflage when the bird stands motionless amongst marsh vegetation. When flushed, it drops back into the marsh after a short slow flight.
References
- Hayman, Marchant and Prater, Shorebirds ISBN 0-873403-19-4
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