Gallinago delicata

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Charadriiformes
Subordo: Charadrii

Familia: Scolopacidae
Genus: Gallinago
Species: Gallinago delicata
Name

Gallinago delicata (Ord, 1825)
Synonyms

Gallinago gallinago delicata Ord, 1825
Scolopax delicata Ord, 1825 (Protonyme)

Vernacular names
български: Gallinago delicata
dansk: Amerikansk Bekkasin
Deutsch: Amerikanische Bekassine, Wilson-Bekassine
English: Wilson's Snipe
Esperanto: Amerika galinago
español: Becasina
eesti: ameerika tikutaja
suomi: amerikantaivaanvuohi
français: Bécassine de Wilson
Kreyòl ayisyen: Bekasin janm kout
magyar: amerikai sárszalonka
íslenska: Flóasnípa
italiano: Beccaccino di Wilson
Nederlands: Amerikaanse Watersnip
norsk: Indianerbekkasin
polski: bekas amerykański
português: Narceja-americana
русский: Американский бекас, Бекас Вильсона
slovenčina: močiarnica krátkokrídla
svenska: Wilsonbeckasin
Türkçe: Wilson bataklık çulluğu
українська: Бекас Вільсона
文言: 威氏鷸
中文: 威氏鹬

Wilson's snipe (Gallinago delicata) is a small, stocky shorebird.[2] 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".[3]

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.[4] 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.[5] Its common name commemorates the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson.
Description

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).[6] 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.
Breeding and habits
Wilson's snipe feeding

They breed in marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows in Canada and the northern United States and on the Chukchi Peninsula, Russia. They are year-round residents on the U.S. Pacific coast. The eastern population migrates to the southern United States, the Caribbean, and to northern South America. It may be that climate change causes these birds to move to their breeding range earlier and leave later than 100 years ago. In Ohio for example, late April was recorded as an average migration date in 1906, but now most of the local population is present on the breeding grounds by then already.[7][8]

They forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight and eating insects, earthworms, and plant material. Well-camouflaged, they are usually shy and conceal themselves close to ground vegetation, flushing only when approached closely. They fly off in a series of aerial zig-zags to confuse predators.

The male performs "winnowing" display during courtship, flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a distinctive sound. They have been observed "winnowing" throughout the day and long into the night. The "winnowing" sound is similar to the call of a boreal owl.[2] They nest in a well-hidden location on the ground.[2]
Population

Wilson's snipe was reduced near the end of the 19th century by hunting and habitat destruction. However, this bird remains fairly common and not considered threatened by the IUCN, although local populations are sensitive to large-scale draining of wetland.[2][7]
References

BirdLife International (2020). "Gallinago delicata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22729867A182637179. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22729867A182637179.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
"Wilson's Snipe". All About Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 132, 170. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) - BirdLife species factsheet
"Wilson's Snipe". Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "The Wilson's Snipe typically has 16 tail feathers, whereas the common snipe has 14."
"Wilson's Snipe Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
Henninger, W.F. (1906). "A preliminary list of the birds of Seneca County, Ohio" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin. 18 (2): 47–60.

Ohio Ornithological Society (2004). Annotated Ohio state checklist.