Greater Painted-Snipe

Greater Painted-Snipe

Rostratula benghalensis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Etosha National Park
28 Verified sightings at Etosha National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,760 Verified sightings across all 59 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Greater Painted-Snipe

The greater painted-snipe (Rostratula benghalensis) is a species of wader in the small painted-snipe family Rostratulidae. It widely distributed across Africa and southern Asia and is found in a variety of wetland habitats, including swamps and the edges of larger water bodies such as lakes and rivers. This species is sexually dimorphic with the female being larger and more brightly coloured than the male. The female is normally polyandrous with the males incubating the eggs and caring for the young.

The greater painted-snipe was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the rails in the genus Rallus and coined the binomial name Rallus benghalenis. Linnaeus based his account on the "Bengall water rail" that had been described and illustrated in 1738 by the English naturalist Eleazar Albin in his A Natural History of Birds. Albin had examined a drawing that had been sent to the English silk-pattern designer Joseph Dandridge from Bengal. The greater painted-snipe is now placed with the Australian painted-snipe in the genus Rostratula that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Etosha National Park

Blacksmith Lapwing
LC

Blacksmith Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus armatus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Crowned Lapwing
LC

Crowned Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus coronatus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Double-banded Courser

Double-banded Courser

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rhinoptilus africanus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Black-winged Stilt
LC

Black-winged Stilt

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Himantopus himantopus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Wood Sandpiper
LC

Wood Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa glareola

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Ruff
LC

Ruff

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris pugnax

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Little Stint
LC

Little Stint

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris minuta

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Spotted Thick-knee
LC

Spotted Thick-knee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Burhinus capensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Common Greenshank
LC

Common Greenshank

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa nebularia

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
African Jacana
LC

African Jacana

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actophilornis africanus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Pied Avocet
LC

Pied Avocet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Recurvirostra avosetta

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Burchell's Courser
LC

Burchell's Courser

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cursorius rufus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
2 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~10%
3 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
4 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
6 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
7 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
8 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
9 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
10 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
11 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
12 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
13 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
14 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
15 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
16 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
17 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
18 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
19 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
20 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
21 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
22 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
23 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
24 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
25 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
26 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
27 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
28 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
29 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
30 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
31 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
32 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
33 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
34 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
35 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
36 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
37 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
38 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
39 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
40 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
41 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
42 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
Insufficient data
43 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
44 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
45 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
46 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
47 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
48 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
49 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
Insufficient data
50 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
51 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
52 Ranomafana National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
Insufficient data
53 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
54 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
55 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
56 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
Insufficient data
57 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
58 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
59 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Greater Painted-Snipe in Etosha National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Painted-Snipe sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Greater Painted-Snipe in Etosha National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Greater Painted-Snipe in Etosha National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Etosha National Park