Wilson’s Snipe, Gallinago delicata

Wilson’s Snipe, Gallinago delicata. Photograph taken in the greater Salton Sea area of Southern California, January 2013. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

Wilson’s Snipe, Gallinago delicata, is a member of the Scolopacidae Family of Sandpipers and Allies. They are large in stature. In Mexico they are found in December thru February along the coast within the Atlantic Slope in the State of Tamaulipas, within the Pacific Slope in the States of Sonora and Sinaloa, and in the Central Plateau Chihuahua and Durango at elevations below 1,250 m (4,100 feet). From a conservation perspective Wilson’s Snipe is currently considered to be of Least Concern with widely distributed populations; however, populations are currently decreasing. They are found along grassy marshes, bogs and the shorelines of meadows, freshwater lakes, ponds and streams. They primarily consume earthworms and insects that burrow in damp soil or live in shallow water.