| Wilson's Snipe Identification Tips |
| (Credit: U. S. Geological Survey) |
| General
Information - Stocky, short-legged, pointed-winged shorebird - Explosive takeoff when flushed, rapid zigzag flight - Very long, straight bill - Legs olive - Head patterned with alternating dark and pale stripes - Pale breast with darker spots and bars - Strongly patterned back with several buffy, longitudinal stripes - Rusty brown rump and tail visible in flight - White belly, dark bars on flanks - Upperwings dark, secondaries with white tips - Found primarily in marshes and wet fields - Sexes similar - Juvenile similar to adult Similar species American Woodcock has a plain, buffy breast, rounded wings and a distinctive head pattern. Dowitchers are similar in size and shape but lack prominent crown and back stripes, and have a white rump and barred tail. |
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