Wilson's Snipe

Gallinago delicata

Silhouette: Jamie Whitehouse · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
GenusGallinago (Typical Snipes)
SpeciesGallinago delicata (Wilson's Snipe)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Badlands National Park

3 Verified sightings at Badlands National Park From 2019 to 2026

4,873 Verified sightings across all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Wilson's Snipe

Wilson's snipe (Gallinago delicata) is a small, stocky shorebird. The generic name Gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling". The specific name delicata is Latin for "dainty".

This species was considered to be a subspecies of the common snipe (G. gallinago) until 2003 when it was given its own species status, though not all authorities recognized this immediately. Wilson's snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white trailing edge to the wings, and eight pairs of tail feathers instead of the typical seven of the common snipe. Its common name commemorates the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson.

Adults are 23–28 cm (9.1–11.0 in) in length with a 39–45 cm (15–18 in) wingspan. Weight ranges from 2.8–5.2 oz (79–147 g). They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed.

They breed in marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows in Canada and the northern United States and on the Chukchi Peninsula... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Badlands National Park

Bartramia longicauda

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Phalaropus tricolor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Numenius americanus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Limosa fedoa

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Tringa flavipes

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Tringa solitaria

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Tringa melanoleuca

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Tringa semipalmata

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Phalaropus lobatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Calidris himantopus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Calidris minutilla

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
2	Wood Buffalo National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~30%
3	Katmai National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
4	Gros Morne National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
5	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
6	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
7	Kenai Fjords National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
8	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
9	Isle Royale National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
10	Isla del Coco National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
11	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
12	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
13	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
14	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
15	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
16	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
17	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
18	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
19	Denali National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
20	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
21	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
22	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
23	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	<5%
24	Joshua Tree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
25	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
26	Yosemite National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
27	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
28	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
29	Cabo Pulmo National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
30	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
31	Los Haitises National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	Insufficient data
32	Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
33	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	Insufficient data
34	Main Ridge Forest Reserve	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	Insufficient data
35	Puracé National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
36	Calakmul Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
37	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
38	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
39	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data

← Back to Badlands National Park

Wilson's Snipe

About the Wilson's Snipe

Recent sightings of Wilson's Snipe in Badlands National Park

Closest Relatives at Badlands National Park

Upland Sandpiper

Wilson's Phalarope

Long-billed Curlew

Marbled Godwit

Lesser Yellowlegs

Solitary Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Willet

Red-necked Phalarope

Stilt Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Long-billed Dowitcher

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found