Giant Snipe - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Marcelo Padua
Chapada dos Guimaraes, Brazil

Gallinago undulata

Identification

36–47 cm (14¼-18½ in); the largest Snipe

• Flat forehead
• Broad base to very long bill

Distribution

South America: Guianas and southern Venezuela to Paraguay and Brazil.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies¹:

• G. u. undulata:

• Colombia to Venezuela, the Guianas and adjacent northern Brazil

• G. u. gigantea:

• Eastern Bolivia to Paraguay, south-eastern Brazil and north-eastern Argentina

Habitat

Swamps and marshes with tall vegetation.

Behaviour

Diet

Little known, probably includes frogs.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2014)
3. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Giant Snipe. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Giant_Snipe

External Links

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