Pantanal Snipe

Overview

The Pantanal snipe (Gallinago paraguaiae) is a sedentary bird belonging to the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. It is found across most mainland South American countries, as well as on Trinidad and the Falkland Islands, and is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Length 26 to 30 cm with males weighing 105–140 g and females 115–185 g.
• Very long, straight, dark bill and short greenish-gray legs.
• Complex upperparts pattern of muted whitish, buffy, rufous, and black on a brown background; buff breast and flanks with black markings.
• Distinctive non-vocal winnowing sound produced during flight, described as a muffled stuttered crescendo lasting two or three seconds.

Habitat

This species inhabits wet grassy savannas across nearly all mainland South American countries, excluding Chile, and is also present on Trinidad and the Falkland Islands. It is notably scarce in the Amazon Basin but can be found at elevations ranging from 1,300 m in Venezuela up to 2,600 m in Bolivia.

Diet

The Pantanal snipe forages by probing in mud to find invertebrates. Its diet includes insect larvae and earthworms, though the full range of food items is not known in detail.

Did you know?

The male performs a winnowing courtship display by flying high in circles and taking shallow dives, which produces a distinctive, muffled stuttered sound generated by air flowing over the outer tail feathers.