Andean Snipe
Encyclopedia
The Andean Snipe, Gallinago jamesoni, is a small, stocky wader
. It breeds in the Andes
in Bolivia
, Colombia
, Ecuador
, Peru
and Venezuela
. It appears to be entirely sedentary, with no evidence of migration
.
It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Fuegian Snipe
, Gallinago stricklandii, which is also known as the Cordilleran Snipe. The scientific name of the Andean Snipe commemorates the Scottish
botanist William Jameson
.
has a stocky body and relatively short legs for a wader. Its upperparts, head and neck are streaked and patterned with warm brown and buff, and the gold edges to the feathers form lines down its back, which are not as sharply defined as in most snipe species. The belly is white with brown barring. The horn-colored bill is long, straight and fairly robust. The legs and feet are yellowish-green. The sexes are similar, and immatures differ only in showing pale fringes on the wing coverts.
The Andean Snipe makes a whee-tschwu call in its display flight.
Compared with other snipe with an overlapping range, Andean Snipe is obviously larger, with a heavy woodcock-like
flight on broad wings which lack a white trailing edge. On the ground, it lacks the clear pale stripes of its smaller relatives. Furthermore, the Puna Snipe
which occurs in the lower Andes, Gallinago andina, has yellow legs.
The Andean Snipe is found in marshy areas where grassland and forest intergrade, at altitudes ranging between 2,100 - 3,800 m (mostly 3000-3500 m). Little is known of its behaviour, but it has an aerial display, which involves flying high in circles, followed by a dive during which the bird makes a drumming
sound, caused by vibrations of its modified outer tail feathers.
The Andean Snipe forages by pushing its long bill deep into the mud seeking insects and worms. Its cryptic plumage provides effective camouflage when the bird stands motionless amongst marsh vegetation.
Scolopacidae
The sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
. It breeds in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. It appears to be entirely sedentary, with no evidence of migration
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
.
It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Fuegian Snipe
Fuegian Snipe
The Fuegian Snipe, Gallinago stricklandii, also known as the Cordilleran Snipe, is a small stocky wader. It breeds in south-central Chile and Argentina south to Tierra del Fuego. It is mainly sedentary, but the Tierra del Fuego population winters in mainland Chile.It is sporadically recorded in...
, Gallinago stricklandii, which is also known as the Cordilleran Snipe. The scientific name of the Andean Snipe commemorates the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
botanist William Jameson
William Jameson
William Jameson was a Scottish-Ecuadorian botanist. He was born in Edinburgh and studied at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He made several voyages as a ship's surgeon, first to Baffin Bay, then to South America. In 1826 he settled in Quito, Ecuador. He was then appointed professor of...
.
Description
This 30-32 cm long snipeSnipe
A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...
has a stocky body and relatively short legs for a wader. Its upperparts, head and neck are streaked and patterned with warm brown and buff, and the gold edges to the feathers form lines down its back, which are not as sharply defined as in most snipe species. The belly is white with brown barring. The horn-colored bill is long, straight and fairly robust. The legs and feet are yellowish-green. The sexes are similar, and immatures differ only in showing pale fringes on the wing coverts.
The Andean Snipe makes a whee-tschwu call in its display flight.
Compared with other snipe with an overlapping range, Andean Snipe is obviously larger, with a heavy woodcock-like
Woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into Wallacea...
flight on broad wings which lack a white trailing edge. On the ground, it lacks the clear pale stripes of its smaller relatives. Furthermore, the Puna Snipe
Puna Snipe
The Puna Snipe, Gallinago andina, is a small, stocky wader. It breeds in the Andes of northern Peru to northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the South American Snipe.-Description:...
which occurs in the lower Andes, Gallinago andina, has yellow legs.
Behaviour
The Andean Snipe is found in marshy areas where grassland and forest intergrade, at altitudes ranging between 2,100 - 3,800 m (mostly 3000-3500 m). Little is known of its behaviour, but it has an aerial display, which involves flying high in circles, followed by a dive during which the bird makes a drumming
Drumming (snipe)
Drumming is a sound produced by snipe as part of their courtship display flights. The sound is produced mechanically by the vibration of the modified outer tail feathers, held out at a wide angle to the body, in the slipstream of a power dive. The display is usually crepuscular, or given...
sound, caused by vibrations of its modified outer tail feathers.
The Andean Snipe forages by pushing its long bill deep into the mud seeking insects and worms. Its cryptic plumage provides effective camouflage when the bird stands motionless amongst marsh vegetation.