Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Gallinago stenura
Family: Sandpipers and Allies · Status: Uncommon migrant · Size: 25–27 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Breeds from central to east Russia as well as in Mongolia; winters in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
One of three difficult-to-identify Gallinago snipes in Singapore. From Common Snipe, most obviously differentiated by a lack of clear white trailing edge to the secondaries, shorter bill and larger-headed appearance (see that species for more differences). Apart from a long list of overlapping and weakly defined separation features, only truly differentiable from Swinhoe's Snipe with a clear view of the spread tail (or measurements in the hand). This species has one (vs. more than one in Swinhoe's) intermediate-width feather between the wide central tail feathers and the 6-9 pin-like feathers on the outer-tail. These feathers are referred to as "pins" as they are extremely narrow, less than 2 mm wide. On Swinhoe's, only the outermost pair of tail feathers are narrow (varying from 2 to 4 mm wide), while the rest gradually increase in width towards the central feathers (giving the impression of at least two intermediate-width tail feathers outside the central few, while Pin-tailed shows only one when tail is fully spread).
Damp grasslands, edges of waterbodies, and muddy freshwater marshes.
Feeds by probing in soft ground. Tends to call when flushed.