Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
A long-billed wetland bird that flushes in a fast, zigzag flight and is one of the most challenging small game birds.
- Type
- Other
- Movement
- Migratory
- Habitat
- Marshes, Farm fields
- Typical size
- 10–11 in long; about 3–4 oz
- Range
- Breeds across Canada and the northern United States and winters across the southern states and along the coasts
- Seasons
- A migratory bird with a fall season that often runs into winter, with a daily bag limit that varies by state
How to identify it
- A very long, straight bill.
- A striped head with pale and dark bands, and a striped brown back with pale buff stripes.
- Barred flanks and short legs.
- Flushes with a raspy "scaap" call and a quick, zigzag flight.
Often confused with
- American woodcock: stockier, with a plain, unstriped back and big eyes set high on the head.
- Dowitchers: protected shorebirds that look similar at a distance but are seen wading in open shallows, not flushed from wet cover.
What it eats
- Earthworms and insect larvae
- Other small invertebrates in soft mud
- Occasionally seeds
How it's hunted
- Walking wet fields, marsh edges, and muddy ditches
- Hunting at the edges of cover where birds hold tight
- Short-range shots at fast, zigzagging birds
Field notes
Snipe are birds of wet meadows, flooded fields, and muddy marsh edges, where they probe for worms. They hold tight until the last moment, then burst away in a zigzag.
Take care to identify them correctly, since protected shorebirds can look similar. Snipe are usually flushed from wet cover, not seen out in the open.
Related guides
Seasons, bag limits, legal shot types, and licensing vary by state and change every year. Migratory game birds such as ducks, geese, and doves generally require a state license, registration in the Harvest Information Program, and, for waterfowl, a federal duck stamp, and waterfowl must be hunted with non-toxic shot. Check your state's current regulations — our state resources directory links straight to each state's official hunting rules and license portal.