Gallinago macrodactyla
Silhouette: Jamie Whitehouse · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The Madagascar snipe (Gallinago macrodactyla) is a small stocky wader. It breeds only in the humid eastern half of Madagascar, from sea-level up to 2,700 m, being more common above 700 m. It is non-migratory. This is a large and heavy snipe, between 29 and 32 cm long with a stocky body and relatively short legs. Its upperparts, head and neck are streaked and patterned with bold, dark brown stripes and gold edges to the feathers forming lines down its back. The belly is white, with some brown barring on the flanks but never on the belly. The blackish bill is very long, straight and fairly robust. The legs and feet are yellowish-olive to greenish-grey. The sexes are similar, and immature differ only in showing buff fringes on the wing coverts.
The Madagascar snipe makes a hoarse hlip call as it takes off. In flight, it has a narrow grey trailing edge on the wing and a dark underwing. The Madagascar snipe has never been recorded elsewhere, and no other snipe species have yet been recorded on Madagascar. Common snipe is smaller, has a paler underwing, and a white trailing edges on the wing. Pin-tailed snipe is similar in plumage to the Madagascar species, but is smaller... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Snipe sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 70th most-seen of the 102 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, July and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Snipe in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May and August–October, the lowest months. January and June have too few records to rate.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Madagascar Snipe sightings, Ranomafana National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascar Snipe is recorded against all the birds logged in Ranomafana National Park (53 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.
