Common Snipe????? (1 Viewer)

[PWG]

For the past few days there has been a snipe at The Wetland centre at Barnes which seems a lot lighter in colour than any I've seen before. Could this be just a one off or is there any variation across snipes like this? All the bird guides I've gone through offer no variations and the patterns don't look like the Great Snipe which does have lighter edges to the feathers.

 

[Pie Face]

Looks like a common Snipe to me, their plumage tones can be very variable.

Mark

 

[weather]

Sure is a Common Snipe. Over here we changed it to Wilson's Snipe...

http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/s...9&searchText=snipe&curPageNum=1&recnum=BD0223

Mike

 

[pauco]

Looks very much like common snipe.

 

[PWG]

Sure is a Common Snipe. Over here we changed it to Wilson's Snipe...

http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/s...9&searchText=snipe&curPageNum=1&recnum=BD0223

Mike

Thanks for all your replies.

Looking at the link it's not only the common name that has been changed. In the European field guides it is Gallinago gallinago, (so good they named it twice) but your link shows it as Gallinago delicata. Doesn't help when in this shrinking world we are trying to talk about the same bird.

 

[Mike Pennington]

Thanks for all your replies.

Looking at the link it's not only the common name that has been changed. In the European field guides it is Gallinago gallinago, (so good they named it twice) but your link shows it as Gallinago delicata. Doesn't help when in this shrinking world we are trying to talk about the same bird.

Ah, but we are not necessarily talking about the same bird as some authorities split Wilson's Snipe (delicata) from Common Snipe (gallinago) while others still lump them as subspecies.

 

[twitcher]

Ornithology or plain simple beauty

I wonder how many folks watch birds out of there sheer addiction and how many want pure beauty to unfold in there chosen magnified binos or is the Science of the hobby as important if not more important than just the sheer sight of these Godly blessings ?...........I guess the trend towards more people becoming involved in the hobby say from 10 20 30 years ago has me thinking this latter might be the case or probably a mixture will be the answer !! I suppose each to is own but it would be interesting to no why our hobby is pulling in such a vast number, thanks to this BirdForum I would still be thinking it was one of them hobbys we do but dont really dare talk to much about doing... best regards happy birding + Happy Easter to all Twitcher..

 

[Nutcracker]

Ah, but we are not necessarily talking about the same bird as some authorities split Wilson's Snipe (delicata) from Common Snipe (gallinago) while others still lump them as subspecies.

Seems a good split to me. Are there any other birds with different tail feather numbers between different races?

 

[PWG]

Mike, Nutcracker,

Now I'm even more confused. I take it the Wilson's is an american variant, split by tail feathers?

Superficialy I would have just said common snipe looking at the photo of the Wilson's, as I see less difference than on the lighter coloured one I posted

 

[Nutcracker]

Hi Paul,

Yours will be a Common Snipe - the American Wilson's Snipe has yet to be officially recorded in Britain (there are a couple of records from Scilly pending).

 

[PWG]

Hi Paul,

Yours will be a Common Snipe - the American Wilson's Snipe has yet to be officially recorded in Britain (there are a couple of records from Scilly pending).

Thanks, but I wasn't claiming it to be, just curious at the way the birds are sub divided in the groups.

I take it that the difference in colouring on my photo is environmental. What the bird is eating affecting the feather colours. Similar to the way some canary breeders put colouring in the birds food to get a pinky, orange colour bird?