Wildlifeof China
Solitary Snipe
Shorebirds
Photo: (c) Михаил Голомысов, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Gallinago solitaria
Basic stats
Habitat
Mountain bogs and river valleys above the timberline, typically 2,400–5,000m
Range
Palearctic from north-east Iran to Korea and Japan; some winter in north-east Iran, Pakistan, northern India, Bangladesh, eastern China, Korea, Japan and Sakhalin
Size
29–31cm
The solitary snipe is a heavy, stocky snipe 29–31cm long with relatively short legs for a wader. The upperparts, head and neck are streaked with medium-brown stripes and whitish feather edges, the breast is ginger-brown, and the belly is white with brown barring on the flanks. The bill is long, straight and fairly slender (Wikipedia, general species account).
It breeds in mountain bogs and river valleys above the timberline, typically from 2,400 to 5,000m. Many birds are sedentary in the high mountains or just move downhill in hard weather, but others are migratory, wintering as far as eastern China, Korea and Japan. It makes a hoarse 'kensh' call on take-off and a far-carrying 'chok-a-chok-a' when displaying, with a relatively slow, heavy flight (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Solitary Snipe live in?
- Mountain bogs and river valleys above the timberline, typically 2,400–5,000m
- Where is the Solitary Snipe found?
- Palearctic from north-east Iran to Korea and Japan; some winter in north-east Iran, Pakistan, northern India, Bangladesh, eastern China, Korea, Japan and Sakhalin
- How big is the Solitary Snipe?
- 29–31cm