Wood snipe
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Gallinago
Species:
G. nemoricola
Binomial name
Gallinago nemoricola
Hodgson, 1836

The wood snipe (Gallinago nemoricola) is a species of snipe which breeds in the Himalayas of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and southern China. In winter, it occurs at lower altitudes in the Himalayas, as a regular visitor in small numbers to north Vietnam. it also occurs as a vagrant in central and southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, north Thailand and Laos. It is reportedly very well-known to Chauri herders in the Himalayas.[2]

This is a dark snipe, 28–32 centimetres (11–13 in) in length, with a short, broad-based bill. In the May-July breeding season, it breeds in alpine meadows above 3,000 metres (9,800 ft), moving to lower altitudes in the winter. Wood snipes breed and nest on boulders near rhododendron shrubs.[2] A 2021 study in Sichuan province during the breeding season (May-July), showed that the birds preferred the lower parts (3,378–3,624 m) of the alpine meadow with intermediate levels of soil moisture, with the birds preferring to forage at sites with higher soil fauna abundance.[3]

The species has been classified as vulnerable by IUCN, with a population of mature birds between 2500 and 10,000.[1] The widespread loss of wetlands habitats in its breeding and wintering grounds has been a major reason for its decline.[1] It has been recorded in some protected areas, including Langtang and Sagarmatha National Parks in Nepal.

It eats invertebrates, primarily worms.[4] Its diet also includes seeds[4] and larvae found in Chauri dung.[2]

Taxonomy

It was first described in 1836 by Brian Houghton Hodgson.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2017). "Gallinago nemoricola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22693082A117048348. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22693082A117048348.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Basnet, Hari; Shrestha, Mohan Bikram; Thakuri, Deelip Chand; Pun, Tejab; Chaudhary, Dhiraj; Baral, Hem Sagar (2021-11-11). "Ecology and status of Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola in Lamtang National Park, Nepal". Wader Study. 128 (3). doi:10.18194/ws.00243. ISSN 2058-8410.
  3. ↑ Xiaotong Ren; Shen Zhang; Ke Huang; et al. (27 March 2023). "Habitat selection and population status of breeding Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola in an alpine meadow in Sichuan, China". Bird Conservation International. 33. doi:10.1017/S0959270923000047. ISSN 0959-2709. Wikidata Q122705752.
  4. 1 2 Faheem, Mahmood Syed. "Wood snipe". Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  5. ↑ Hodgson, B.H. "January 26, 1836". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Pt4 no.37: 8.
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