Swinhoe's Snipe

Gallinago megala Swinhoe, 1861

27–29 cmLength44 cmWingspan121 gWeight

This medium-sized wader has a long bill and well-camouflaged black, rufous, cream and white markings.

Busiest months: April · Most records: China, Philippines, Mongolia

Looks like Pin-tailed Snipe, Latham's Snipe

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Bill long
Plumage markings alternate black, rufous, cream and white

Similar species

Pin-tailed Snipe

Difficult to separate from Swinhoe's Snipe in the field.

Latham's Snipe

Difficult to separate from Swinhoe's Snipe in the field.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April · Most records: China, Philippines, Mongolia

Swinhoe's Snipe has been recorded at 242 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 16 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)122 records
Matsu – Dongyin PlaygroundChina103 records
Matsu – DongyinChina85 records

More places

Basco Airport, BatanPhilippines70 records
Beimen IBA – ShanliaowanTaiwan (China)56 records
Bislig lowlands – Old AirportPhilippines55 records
Matsu – Dongyin Shizi Vegetable FarmChina53 records
Nanhui DongtanChina51 records
Lizejian IBA – 52-Jia WetlandTaiwan (China)46 records
Lanyang River Estuary IBA – XinnanTaiwan (China)45 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Philippines Mongolia Australia South Korea Japan Singapore Malaysia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

Swinhoe's snipe (Gallinago megala), also known as forest snipe or Chinese snipe, is a medium-sized (length 27–29 cm, wingspan 38–44 cm, weight 120 gm), long-billed, migratory wader.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Swinhoe's Snipe?

The Swinhoe's Snipe is about 27–29 cm long, with a wingspan of 44 cm and weighs around 121 g.

Where does the Swinhoe's Snipe live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: temperate woodland-edge wetlands of central, eastern Palearctic: northeastern Kazakhstan, south-central Siberia, north-central Mongolia and Amurland (southeastern Russia). It is most often recorded in China, Philippines and Mongolia.

When is the best time to see the Swinhoe's Snipe?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Swinhoe's Snipe endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Swinhoe's Snipe as Least Concern.

What does the Swinhoe's Snipe eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Swinhoe's Snipe in?

It belongs to the family Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: 27–29 cm
Wingspan: 44 cm
Weight: 121 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 135 mm
Tail: 56 mm
Bill: 68 mm
Tarsus: 32 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: temperate woodland-edge wetlands of central, eastern Palearctic: northeastern Kazakhstan, south-central Siberia, north-central Mongolia and Amurland (southeastern Russia)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2