Pantanal snipe

Last updated

Pantanal snipe
Gallinago paraguaiae.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Gallinago
Species:
G. paraguaiae
Binomial name
Gallinago paraguaiae
(Vieillot, 1816)
Gallinago paraguaiae map.svg
Range of Pantanal and Magellanic snipes ("South American" snipe)

The Pantanal snipe (Gallinago paraguaiae) is a bird in tribe Scolopancinai and subfamily Scolopacinae of family Scolopacidae, the sandpipers and relatives. [2] [3] It is found on Trinidad and Tobago and in every mainland South American country (though only as a vagrant in Ecuador.) [4]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The taxonomic history of the New World snipes of genus Gallinago is complicated. What is now the Pantanal snipe has in the past been treated as a subspecies of common snipe (G. gallinago), then as conspecific with what are now the Magellanic snipe (G. magellanica) and the puna snipe (G. andina), and later still as conspecific with only the Magellanic snipe. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the Clements taxonomy treat all of them as separate species. However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retains the Pantanal and Magellanic snipes as subspecies of what it calls the South American snipe, with the binomial G. paraguaiae. [5] [2] [6] [3]

This article follows the IOC definition of a monotypic G. paraguaiae, the Pantanal snipe. [2]

Description

The adult Pantanal snipe is 26 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in) long. Males weigh about 105 to 140 g (3.7 to 4.9 oz) and females 115 to 185 g (4.1 to 6.5 oz). Females are slightly larger than males but otherwise the same. They have short greenish-gray legs and a very long straight dark bill. Their upperparts have a complex pattern of muted whitish, buffy, rufous, and black on a brown background. Their breast and flanks are buff with black markings and the rest of their underparts whitish. Their face has tan and darker brown stripes that blend into each other. [7]

Distribution and habitat

The Pantanal snipe is found in almost every mainland South American country; it is absent from Chile and has been found in Ecuador only as a vagrant. It also occurs on Trinidad and the Falkland Islands. [4] However, it is scarce in the Amazon Basin. It inhabits wet grassy savanna. In elevation it is known as high as 1,300 m (4,300 ft) in Venezuela, as high as 2,200 m (7,200 ft) in Peru, and perhaps as high as 2,600 m (8,500 ft) in Bolivia. [7]

Behavior

Movement

The Pantanal snipe is essentially sedentary, though some make short movements in winter to find permanent marshes. [7]

Feeding

The Pantanal snipe forages by probing in mud. Their diet of invertebrates is not known in detail but includes insect larvae and earthworms. [7]

Breeding

The Pantanal snipe breeds in most of South America away from the Pacific coast and eastern Brazil, and also on Trinidad and the Falkland Islands. Its breeding season varies geographically across its very large range but has not been fully defined anywhere. The male performs a winnowing display during courtship, flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a distinctive sound. The typical clutch size is four eggs. The nest, incubation period, and time to fledging are not known. [7]

Vocal and non-vocal sounds

The Pantanal snipe has a very wide variety of vocalizations including a slow chip "kek..kek..kek..kek..kek...", a fast chip "kekkekkekkekkekkekkek", a "short raspy" flight call "..kek......kek...kek-kek...", and a flush call "KEK.kek.kek.....kek.kek...". The chip calls are typically made from the ground or near it such as from a fence post. The species' non-vocal winnowing is made by air flowing over the outer tail feathers during flight. It is described as "a muffled stuttered crescendo series...huhuhuhuhuhu.hu.WHOO..WHOO..WHOO.whu" that lasts about two or three seconds and is repeated about every 10 seconds. [7]

Status

The IUCN follows HBW taxonomy and so has assessed the "South American" (Pantanal plus Magellanic) snipe as a whole. It treats the taxon as being of Least Concern. Though its population size is not known, it is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puna snipe</span> Species of bird

The puna snipe is a bird in tribe Scolopancinai and subfamily Scolopacinae of family Scolopacidae, the sandpipers and relatives. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal flycatcher</span> Genus of birds

The royal flycatchers are a genus, Onychorhynchus, of passerine birds that the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) places in the family Tityridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amethyst woodstar</span> Species of hummingbird

The amethyst woodstar is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay and has been recorded as a vagrant on Trinidad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapman's swift</span> Species of bird

Chapman's swift is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, Venezuela, and possibly Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-chested dotterel</span> Species of bird

The rufous-chested dotterel or rufous-chested plover, is a species of bird in subfamily Charadriinae of family Charadriidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-banded crake</span> Species of bird

The black-banded crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russet-crowned crake</span> Species of bird

The russet-crowned crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colombian crake</span> Species of bird

The Colombian crake is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ash-throated crake</span> Species of bird

The ash-throated crake is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plain-flanked rail</span> Species of bird

The plain-flanked rail is an Endangered species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is endemic to Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigida's woodcreeper</span> Species of bird

Brigida's woodcreeper, also known as the Mato Grosso woodcreeper, is a subspecies of bird in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-billed woodcreeper</span> Species of bird

The red-billed woodcreeper is a species of bird in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

The Sinú parakeet is a bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World recognizes it as a full species. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, and the Clements taxonomy treat it as a subspecies of the painted parakeet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-legged parrot</span> Species of bird

The black-legged parrot, also known as the western white-bellied parrot, is a bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee, and the Clements taxonomy treat the black-legged parrot as a subspecies of the white-bellied parrot. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) considers it a full species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-tailed parrot</span> Species of bird

The yellow-tailed parrot, also known as the central white-bellied parrot, is a bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to Brazil. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee, and the Clements taxonomy treat the yellow-tailed parrot as a subspecies of the white-bellied parrot. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) considers it a full species. It is rare in captivity in comparison to other taxa of the genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-throated toucanet</span> Species of bird

The white-throated toucanet or greyish-throated toucanet is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterfly coquette</span> Species of hummingbird

The butterfly coquette is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magellanic snipe</span> Species of bird

The Magellanic snipe is a bird in tribe Scolopancinai and subfamily Scolopacinae of family Scolopacidae, the sandpipers and relatives. It is found in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "South American Snipe Gallinago paraguaiae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22693112A93384265. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693112A93384265.en . Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (August 2022). "Sandpipers, snipes, Crab-plover, coursers". IOC World Bird List. v 12.2. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  3. 1 2 HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6b. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6b_Jul22.zip retrieved December 5, 2022
  4. 1 2 Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved July 24, 2022
  5. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 24, 2022
  6. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Van Gils, J., P. Wiersma, G. M. Kirwan, P. C. Rasmussen, and P. F. D. Boesman (2021). Pantanal Snipe (Gallinago paraguaiae), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. C. Rasmussen, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.soasni2.01 retrieved December 7, 2022

Further reading