Gallinago delicata
Silhouette: Jamie Whitehouse · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
Wilson's snipe (Gallinago delicata) is a small, stocky shorebird. The generic name Gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling". The specific name delicata is Latin for "dainty".
This species was considered to be a subspecies of the common snipe (G. gallinago) until 2003 when it was given its own species status, though not all authorities recognized this immediately. Wilson's snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white trailing edge to the wings, and eight pairs of tail feathers instead of the typical seven of the common snipe. Its common name commemorates the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson.
Adults are 23–28 cm (9.1–11.0 in) in length with a 39–45 cm (15–18 in) wingspan. Weight ranges from 2.8–5.2 oz (79–147 g). They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed.
They breed in marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows in Canada and the northern United States and on the Chukchi Peninsula... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wilson's Snipe sighting in Caroni Swamp on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 145th most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wilson's Snipe in Caroni Swamp on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wilson's Snipe sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
33rd of 47
Of the 47 parks where we can rate Wilson's Snipe sightings, Caroni Swamp ranks 33rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 20%), Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 20%) and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Scolopacidae
The closest relatives of the Wilson's Snipe that you can see in Caroni Swamp (family Scolopacidae, Sandpipers and Allies) are Spotted Sandpiper (about 60%), Greater Yellowlegs (about 20%) and Lesser Yellowlegs (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wilson's Snipe is recorded against all the birds logged in Caroni Swamp (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
