Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola

A rare and infrequently-seen snipe. Like others of its family, it is cryptically colored and intricately patterned with black, brown, and white. Strong, creamy-white markings on its back are especially striking, both when in flight and at rest. Breeds in wet alpine meadows and bogs and winters in forest pools and marshes. Its high-altitude range distinguishes it from most other snipes except Solitary Snipe, which is much grayer and ‘frostier’ in coloration, especially on the face and back.