Gallinago delicata
Silhouette: Jamie Whitehouse · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Wilson's Snipe sighting in Elk Island National Park on a given day, based on 224 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 161 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Wilson's Snipe in Elk Island National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and August, the lowest months. Those are among Elk Island National Park's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in December.
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.
Yes
Of the 47 parks where we can rate Wilson's Snipe sightings, Elk Island National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come 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 Elk Island National Park (family Scolopacidae, Sandpipers and Allies) are Spotted Sandpiper (about 10%), Solitary Sandpiper (about 10%) and Lesser Yellowlegs (about 10%), 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 Elk Island National Park (224 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.
