Similar Species
American Woodcock
Adult
American Woodcocks have shorter legs than Wilson's Snipes. They have an unmarked cinnamon belly while Wilson's Snipes have barred flanks and a white belly.
© Mark Olivier | Macaulay LibraryOntario, April 30, 2016Similar Species
Long-billed Dowitcher
Juvenile
Long-billed Dowitchers have longer legs than Wilson's Snipes. They do not have long streaks down their back like Wilson's Snipes.
© David Turgeon | Macaulay LibraryQuebec, August 26, 2016Similar Species
Long-billed Dowitcher
Nonbreeding
Long-billed Dowitchers have longer legs than Wilson's Snipes and are often found foraging on mudflats away from vegetation while snipes forage more often in wetlands with low vegetation.
© Sean Fitzgerald | Macaulay LibraryArizona, September 25, 2016Similar Species
Short-billed Dowitcher
Breeding adult (hendersoni)
Short-billed Dowitchers have longer legs than Wilson's Snipes and are more often found foraging in open water areas unlike Wilson's Snipes, which forage in wetlands with low vegetation.
© Joshua Haas | Macaulay LibraryMichigan, May 14, 2016Similar Species
Short-billed Dowitcher
Nonbreeding adult
Short-billed Dowitchers have longer legs than Wilson's Snipes. They do not have long streaks down their back like Wilson's Snipes.
© Tom Edell | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, July 30, 2016Main Species
Wilson's Snipe
Adult
Medium-sized pudgy shorebird with short, stocky legs. Intricately patterned with 3 long buffy streaks down the back and a striped head.
© Bryan Calk | Macaulay LibraryAlaska, June 25, 2019Adult male
Displaying males make a curious whistling noise (“winnowing”), created by air passing over modified outer tail feathers.
© Yann Kolbeinsson | Macaulay LibraryNorðurland eystra, May 20, 2016Adult
Round-bodied shorebird of wet fields. In breeding season, often perches on fence posts to call.
© Jay McGowan | Macaulay LibraryMontana, June 21, 2015Adult
Medium-sized chunky shorebird with a long bill. Note white belly, barred flanks, and dark underwings.
© Douglas Gimler | Macaulay LibraryVermont, May 30, 2017Adult
Long-billed shorebird of inland wetlands. Usually found foraging on the ground, but also perches on posts or stumps.
© Caleb Strand | Macaulay LibraryWyoming, June 05, 2019Adult (with Long-billed Dowitcher)
Smaller than a Long-billed Dowitcher (left) with shorter legs and a pudgier body. Note buffy streaks down the back and striped head.
© Ian Routley | Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, July 22, 2017Adult
Pudgy shorebird with a long bill and short tail. Note barring on the sides and 3 buffy streaks down the back.
© Jeff Timmons | Macaulay LibraryIndiana, April 19, 2017Habitat
Found in muddy pond edges, damp fields, and other wet, open habitats often with thick, low vegetation where these well-camouflaged birds can quickly disappear.
© Maria Loukeris | Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, March 12, 2017