Fuegian Snipe
Encyclopedia
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 the Falkland Islands
, where it has reputedly bred. However, here is only one recent record and the historical documentation of breeding is a lost specimen of questionable identity. The occurrences in these islands could therefore be due to either a tiny breeding population or vagrancy form the mainland.
This species is common in Tierra del Fuego and decreasingly so farther north in its range. It is sometimes considered conspecific with Andean Snipe
, Gallinago jamesoni. The scientific name of the Fuegian Snipe commemorates the English
geologist
, ornithologist
and systematist, Hugh Edwin Strickland
.
has a stocky body and relatively short legs for a wader. Its upperparts, head and neck are streaked and patterned with dark brown and buff, and gold edges to the feathers form lines down its back, which are not as sharply defined as in most snipe species.. The belly is buff with brown barring on the flanks. The horn-coloured bill is long, straight and fairly robust. The legs and feet are yellowish-green. The sexes are similar, and immature birds differ only in showing pale fringes on the wing coverts.
The Fuegian Snipe makes a chip-chip-chip call, and has a sharp, far carrying char-woo in its display flight.
The only other snipe with an overlapping range is the Magellan Snipe, Gallinago paraguiaiae. Compared with that species, Fuegian 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 relative.
The Fuegian Snipe is found in grassy and forested boggy areas with low scrub or rushes, at altitudes ranging from 4,200 m in the north of its down to nearly sea level in Tierra del Fuego, where it also occurs in unforested open grass and scrubby areas.
Little is known of its breeding biology, but it has a nocturnal aerial display, which involves flying high in circles, followed by a powerful stoop during which the bird makes a drumming
sound, caused by vibrations of modified outer tail feathers. The drumming alternates with the char-woo call.
The Fuegian 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.
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
. It breeds in south-central Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
south to Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
. It is mainly sedentary, but the Tierra del Fuego population winters
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...
in mainland Chile.
It is sporadically recorded in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, where it has reputedly bred. However, here is only one recent record and the historical documentation of breeding is a lost specimen of questionable identity. The occurrences in these islands could therefore be due to either a tiny breeding population or vagrancy form the mainland.
This species is common in Tierra del Fuego and decreasingly so farther north in its range. It is sometimes considered conspecific with Andean Snipe
Andean Snipe
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....
, Gallinago jamesoni. The scientific name of the Fuegian Snipe commemorates the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
and systematist, Hugh Edwin Strickland
Hugh Edwin Strickland
Hugh Edwin Strickland , was an English geologist, ornithologist,naturalist, and systematist.Strickland was born at Reighton, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. He was the second son of Henry Eustatius Strickland of Apperley, Gloucestershire, by his wife Mary, daughter of Edmund Cartwright, D.D. [q...
.
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 dark brown and buff, and gold edges to the feathers form lines down its back, which are not as sharply defined as in most snipe species.. The belly is buff with brown barring on the flanks. The horn-coloured bill is long, straight and fairly robust. The legs and feet are yellowish-green. The sexes are similar, and immature birds differ only in showing pale fringes on the wing coverts.
The Fuegian Snipe makes a chip-chip-chip call, and has a sharp, far carrying char-woo in its display flight.
The only other snipe with an overlapping range is the Magellan Snipe, Gallinago paraguiaiae. Compared with that species, Fuegian 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 relative.
Behaviour
The Fuegian Snipe is found in grassy and forested boggy areas with low scrub or rushes, at altitudes ranging from 4,200 m in the north of its down to nearly sea level in Tierra del Fuego, where it also occurs in unforested open grass and scrubby areas.
Little is known of its breeding biology, but it has a nocturnal aerial display, which involves flying high in circles, followed by a powerful stoop 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 modified outer tail feathers. The drumming alternates with the char-woo call.
The Fuegian 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.