Extremely difficult to distinguish from other species of snipe, especially Pin-tailed Snipe, and careful study and photography usually required to confirm identification.
Not listed
At a glance
FamilySandpipers and Allies
SizeMedium
RarityUncommon
Habitatsparse woodland, open woodland, waterbodies, herbaceous graminoids sparse hummock grasses, and shrubland
Best timeMost reliable in Northern Territory from November to January.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Stanislas Wroza
Range map
Range map
65visible hotspots
438visible records
3states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Outer tail feathers broader than in Pin-tailed Snipe, but difficult to see and photograph, as tail is not often spread. Much darker and more richly colored than pale Latham's Snipe.
Behavior
Unlike Common Snipe, seldom calls when flushed.
Gallery
Regional timing
Northern Territory
Queensland
Western Australia
Commonly confused with
RuffCalidris pugnaxMedium-sized with fairly short, slightly drooped bill. Leg color varies from dull greenish to bright orange; bill can be entirely dark or mostly orange. Plumage highly variable, especially breeding males, which have fancy neck ruffs that can be black, white, buffy, reddish-brown, or any combination thereof. Females and nonbreeding birds can be confusing, usually plain grayish-brown overall, sometimes with blotchy markings on the neck and belly. Juveniles are bright buffy with neat scaly patterning on the upperparts. Flight often rather lazy, with deep floppy wingbeats; note white underwings, white sides to rump, and feet projecting well past tail. Males are much larger than females. Breeds in bogs and wet grassy meadows across northern Eurasia; winters mainly in Africa but also across India and Southeast Asia. Migrants occur in almost any wetland habitat, from reservoirs and fields to coastal mudflats.→Little CurlewNumenius minutusLarge eyes give this bird a gentle appearance. Paler and more warmly colored than other curlews, Little also lacks the pale rump of Eurasian and Far Eastern and lacks the strong facial stripes and longer bill of Whimbrel.→Pin-tailed SnipeGallinago stenuraExtremely similar in appearance to other snipe, particularly Swinhoe's Snipe; careful study and photography usually required to confirm identification. Namesake diagnostic thin gray outer tail feathers are only visible when tail is spread. Lacks Common Snipe's eye-catching white trailing edge of the wing. Averages less buffy than both Common and Swinhoe's, with slightly bolder white edgings to the wing feathers; darker and more richly colored than Latham's Snipe. In flight, toes project further beyond tail than in other Asian snipe.→