Puna Snipe Gallinago andina Scientific name definitions
Text last updated March 18, 2016
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Species names in all available languages
Language | Common name |
---|---|
Catalan | becadell de la puna |
Czech | bekasina žlutonohá |
Danish | Punabekkasin |
Dutch | Bergwatersnip |
English | Puna Snipe |
English (United States) | Puna Snipe |
Finnish | keltajalkakurppa |
French | Bécassine de la puna |
French (France) | Bécassine de la puna |
German | Punabekassine |
Japanese | プナタシギ |
Norwegian | punabekkasin |
Polish | bekas Taczanowskiego |
Russian | Бекас пуны |
Serbian | Punska barska šljuka |
Slovak | močiarnica žltonohá |
Spanish | Agachadiza de la Puna |
Spanish (Argentina) | Becasina Andina |
Spanish (Chile) | Becacina de la puna |
Spanish (Ecuador) | Becasina de Puna |
Spanish (Peru) | Becasina de la Puna |
Spanish (Spain) | Agachadiza de la puna |
Swedish | punabeckasin |
Turkish | Puna Çulluğu |
Ukrainian | Баранець пунанський |
Gallinago andina Taczanowski, 1875
Definitions
- GALLINAGO
- gallinago
- andina / andinum / andinus / andium
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Introduction
The Puna Snipe is a small snipe of high elevation bogs and stream margins, fairly common in moist areas of puna from 3,000 to 4,600m. It ranges from northern Peru into Bolivia and northern Chile and Argentina. A miniature version of the South American Snipe (and sometimes considered a subspecies thereof), the Puna Snipe has a shorter bill and bright yellow legs. It can be distinguished by an unmarked, white belly, a nearly white underwing, and a thin white trailing edge to the wings. In flight, it displays a web of narrow white markings on the upperside, the result of a white tips on the wing coverts, white edges of the tail, and distinct pale stripes along the mantle. Flushes with vertical flight followed by “jumps”.
Field Identification
22·5–25 cm; 65–105 g. A comparatively small-bodied snipe of high elevations, differing from G. paraguaiae in being marginally smaller, with a proportionately shorter and finer bill , and shorter, brighter yellow legs, which reach just to tail tip in flight (rather than extending beyond the tail in G. paraguaiae); also darker face pattern , with distinct dark eyestripe that is complete below the eye, as well as more white on outer rectrices and on outer primary, while the primaries do not extend beyond the tertials at rest. Sexes alike. Juvenile apparently undescribed. Compared to locally sympatric G. jamesoni, present species is smaller and markedly paler, with an unmarked, clean whitish abdominal region and a white trailing edge to the wing, visible in flight. Race innotata, differs from nominate in lacking densely barred underwing-coverts, instead these are immaculate white (also unlike either race of G. paraguaiae), while the outer webs to the primaries are narrowly edged and tipped white.
Systematics History
Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.
Sometimes treated as conspecific with G. gallinago (with G. delicata) and G. nigripennis; treated as conspecific with G. paraguaiae in HBW, but differs in bright yellow vs dull greenish legs and feet (3); shorter bill, given in one identification guide (1) as 62–79 for nominate paraguaiae, 55–79 for other race magellanica, and 47–60 for andina (at least 1); almost entirely white vs half-white, half-brown underwing (1) (2); white on outer vane of outermost primary (ns[1]); flush-call “a high-pitched dzeetch” (2) vs “a deep, almost rasping, chup or chut-up” (3) (at least 2); “wing-winnowing” display sounds also reportedly very different (4). Race innotata, differing from nominate in its clean white underwing-coverts, has been considered possibly a separate species. Two subspecies recognized.Subspecies
Gallinago andina andina Scientific name definitions
Distribution
Gallinago andina andina Taczanowski, 1875
Definitions
- GALLINAGO
- gallinago
- andina / andinum / andinus / andium
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Gallinago andina innotata Scientific name definitions
Distribution
Gallinago andina innotata (Hellmayr, 1932)
Definitions
- GALLINAGO
- gallinago
- andina / andinum / andinus / andium
- innotata / innotatus
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Distribution
Habitat
Inhabits boggy rivers high in puna zone of Andes, between 3000 m and 4600 m in Peru, at 2000–5000 m in Chile and mainly at 2000–4000 m in NW Argentina (see Movements); occupies boggy ground with cushion-plants, but also areas of rushes, reeds and grassland, including edges of lakes, rivers and sometimes in comparatively open reed marshes.
Movement
Diet and Foraging
Diet basically unknown, although presumably similar to that of other South American Gallinago; foraging behaviour similar to G. paraguaiae.
Sounds and Vocal Behavior
Song from ground comprises a fast-paced but mellow-sounding “tip-tip-tip-tip...”, “cut-cut-cut-cut...” or “dyak dyak dyak .... dyuc dyuc dyuc...”, while in flight the winnowing display sound, produced by air passing through the spread rectrices, is a long, stuttering whoosh, rendered “tch’ch’ch’ch’”; flight describes broad circles punctuated by shallow dives, with the winnowing sound given in horizontal flight following each dive. Gives a sharp , dry “chep chep chep!”, “che’che’che” or “dzeetch” when flushed or taking flight of own accord.
Breeding
Conservation Status
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). No population estimates available. Range large and relatively little impacted by human activities over much of it. Nominate race widespread and apparently common in puna, though least so in more arid S parts of range. Race innotata poorly known and apparently confined to lower reaches of Loa Valley, Antofagasta (N Chile), although the species has recently been recorded at c. 4000 m in the same valley, the taxon concerned is apparently unknown; the taxonomic status of innotata demands confirmation, as its small range might make it of conservation concern should it prove to be specifically distinct. Considered to be fairly common in Peru, but uncommon in Chile. In Ecuador, known from just a single sight record (in Oct 1992) in SW Zamora-Chinchipe, in far S of the country, by a highly experienced observer.