What snipe is this one - Japan

[David in Miyazaki]

Saw this snipe recently (Feb) here in Miyazaki, Kyushu Japan and am having trouble trying to decide which one it might be. Thanks.

Link to my photo album is

http://surfbirds.com/albums/showphoto.php?photo=5858&cat=542

[Christopher Cachia Zammit]

For me thats a Common Snipe.....I have searched the web to check if there are any Common Snipes in Japan and found the check list....http://web.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~kazuko/menu/birdlist.html. I have checked it with some pics on the internet and my bird guide.....

Hope I am right

Regards

CCZ

[Joe stockwell]

i would say that it is a common snipe although im sure someone will tell me different

[JanJ]

Lack of time (and of course identification difficulties concerning Gallinago) but see:

http://homepage1.nifty.com/gallinago/gallinago.html

http://blx1.bto.org/pdf/ringmigration/23_4/kaczmarek-colour.pdf

JanJ

[lostinjapan]

hey David

Yes it is indeed a Common Snipe.

The other possibilites in Japan are Japanese Snipe (February is too early for them and they are much bigger paler birds), Swinhoes' Snipe mainly a migrant, which in flight would have no white on the trailing edge, has a different head pattern and forehead shape and feeding action and lastly Pintail Snipe which is a shorter squatter bird, shorter-billed and very little tail projection among other things.

Sean
Hiroshima