Gallinago delicata
Silhouette: Jamie Whitehouse · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wilson's Snipe sighting in Anchorage on a given day, based on 249 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 62nd most-seen of the 138 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June, August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wilson's Snipe in Anchorage on a given day, against under 5% in July, September and November–April, 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.
Among the best
Of the 39 cities where we can rate Wilson's Snipe sightings, Anchorage ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Scolopacidae
The closest relatives of the Wilson's Snipe that you can see in Anchorage (family Scolopacidae, Sandpipers and Allies) are Greater Yellowlegs (about 30%), Lesser Yellowlegs (about 20%) and Hudsonian Godwit (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 Anchorage (249 verified sightings), 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.
