Wilson's Snipe by David Whited

Wilson's Snipe

David Whited

Wilson's Snipe

Digital photography

Inv: MM-1592

The Wilson's Snipe (*Gallinago delicata*) is a plump, well-camouflaged shorebird with intricately patterned brown, black, and buff plumage streaked and barred to blend seamlessly into marshy vegetation, along with a remarkably long, straight bill used for probing deep into mud for invertebrates, and short legs suited to its wetland habitat; found in freshwater marshes, wet meadows, and bog edges across much of North America, it is notoriously secretive and well-hidden, often flushing suddenly in a fast, zigzagging flight when disturbed, and is famous for its "winnowing" display during breeding season, a distinctive hollow, tremulous sound produced not vocally but by air rushing through specialized outer tail feathers during high-speed diving flight.