Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola Scientific name definitions

28–32 cm; 142–198 g; wingspan 46 cm. Large, dark, woodcock-like snipe with broad, rounded wings and barred underparts , extending to belly; plumage somewhat variable; narrow pale crown-stripe and blackish upperparts with dull buff-grey fringes ; bill broad at base. Juvenile very similar to adult but has narrower fringes to feathers of mantle and scapulars, giving scaly appearance.

Himalayas from NW India (Himachal Pradesh) through S & E Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and NE India (Arunachal Pradesh and extreme NE Assam) to SC China (W Sichuan); possibly also Pakistan. Winters in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, N & C Laos (1 Duckworth, J. W., R. J. Tizard, R. J. Timmins, R. M. Thewlis, W. G. Robichaud, and T. D. Evans (1998). Bird records from Laos, October 1994-August 1995. Forktail 13:33–68. Close ), N Vietnam and, rarely, N Thailand.

Woodlands (e.g. along streams) and dense tall herbage, especially at relatively high altitude around treeline, mainly at 1200–4520 m (2 Khatiwada, J.R. and Chaudhary, H. (2008). Status of Wood Snipe (Gallinago nemoricola) and its conservation in Langtang National Park, central Nepal. Unpublished report to Oriental Bird Club, Sandy, UK. Close ). In China, breeds in alpine meadows with scattered bushes and a few streams, and in dwarf scrub in barren, boulder-strewn areas, at 3000–5000 m. Post-breeding, occurs at lower altitudes, down even to near sea-level (3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ), usually in densely vegetated marshes or swamps, and along streams, under waist-high grass and scrubs, but also in wooded areas and sometimes in just tiny patches of habitat (4 Singh, A.P. (2006). New and significant records from Dehra Dun valley and adjacent hills, lower Garhwal Himalayas, India: May 21221222–March 21221226. Forktail. 22: 160–163. Close ).

Probably partly sedentary, although many birds move down to lower altitudes after breeding season, e.g. in Bhutan at this season mainly found in valleys at 1800–2400 m between mid Nov and mid Apr, whereas records in same country in summer are principally at altitudes of 3600–4200 m (5 Spierenburg, P. (2005). Birds in Bhutan: Status and Distribution. Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, UK. Close ). Some are migratory and winter in hill ranges of India, as far as S as Kerala, as well as Myanmar (3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ); only rather occasionally recorded in Indochina; perhaps reaches Sri Lanka, at least formerly (although details are very vague) (3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ), while previously cited record from Singapore now known to have involved G. megala (6 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ).

In display, mainly in half-light of dawn and dusk (more occasionally in daylight) and both on ground and in circular flight (at least 10 m above ground), male gives a persistent, raspy and rhythmical “chep, chep” at rate of c. 3–4 notes/second in series lasting up to c. 4–20 seconds, while in territorial flight  the notes sound more doubled, but still nasal and almost frog-like, “che-dep, che-dep, che-dep, ip-ip-ip, ock, ock”; on flushing, gives a scratchy and also clearly bisyllabic “che-dep” at rate of c. 1/second (7 Buckton, S. and Morris, P. (1993). Observations of Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola in Nepal. Bull. Oriental Bird Club. 17: 31–35. Close , 8 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ).

Virtually unknown; nest apparently never discovered. Male performs aerial roding display (see Voice), but apparently never produces drumming sound with rectrices, thus references in literature to this species ‘drumming’ either reflect confusion in terms, or are indicative of mistaken identification. Display observed in Apr–Jun, but also Aug (3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Egg in oviduct in early Apr, thus breeding may even commence as early as late Mar (3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). No further information.

VULNERABLE. One of least known of all snipes and some historical (and even contemporary) records are almost certainly erroneous (3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ) (see also Movements); believed to be very rare, with total population probably not more than 10,000 birds. Only three regular breeding areas known, Langtang National Park, Nepal, Wolong Biosphere Reserve in Sichuan, China, and the Phobjikha Valley in Bhutan, the latter site discovered only recently, but potentially of considerable importance (9 Eaton, J.A. and Duff, A.G. (2013). Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola in Bhutan’s Phobjikha valley. BirdingASIA. 20: 82–83. Close ). Population declining locally in Nepal, but recorded in Shey-Phoksundo National Park (10 Priemé, A. and Øksnebjerg, B. (1994). The avifauna and conservation value of Shey-Phoksundo National Park, Nepal. Forktail 1121: 33–48. Close ) and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area; since breeding habitat seems to be generally secure, this decline is thought to be caused by loss of wintering habitat and perhaps even hunting in some areas (species is easily shot) (3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ), although deforestation, overgrazing and disturbance are considered threats within Langtang National Park (2 Khatiwada, J.R. and Chaudhary, H. (2008). Status of Wood Snipe (Gallinago nemoricola) and its conservation in Langtang National Park, central Nepal. Unpublished report to Oriental Bird Club, Sandy, UK. Close ). No recent records in several areas of N India (11 Allen, D., J. Anderton, and K. Kazmierczak (1996). Report on an ornithological visit to Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India, 17 February to 6 March 1992. Forktail 12:31–48. Close , 3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close , 12 Acharya, B.K. and Vijayan, L. (2010). Status and distribution of endemic and threatened birds of the Eastern Himalaya in Sikkim, India. J. Threatened Taxa. 2(2): 685–689. Close ). Occurrence in Pakistan based on single, reportedly dubious, record in 1887 and another claimed in Jan 1986 (3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Only recently recorded in Nagaland (NE India) in winter (13 Choudhury, A. (2003). Some additions to the birds of Nagaland, north-east India. Forktail. 19: 150. Close ). Very rare winter visitor to Bangladesh, where little suitable habitat, with just one definite record, in Dec 1992 (14 Thompson, P. M., W. G. Harvey, D. L. Johnson, D. J. Millin, S. M. A. Rashid, D. A. Scott, C. Stanfield, and J. D. Woolner (1993). Recent notable bird records from Bangladesh. Forktail 9: 13–44. Close , 3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Rare too in Laos at this season (15 Thewlis, R. M., R. J. Timmins, T. D. Evans, and J. W. Duckworth (1998). The conservation status of birds in Laos: a review of key species. Bird Conservation International 8(Supplement):1–159. Close ) and just two certain records in NW Thailand (3 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ).