Wilson’s Snipes are plump, long-billed birds that are among the most widespread shorebirds in North America.  Their body is a mottled brown on top and pale underneath with short greenish-grey legs and a very long straight dark bill.  They have a dark strip through the eye, with light stripes above and below it.  They look so stocky thanks in part to the extra-large pectoral muscles that make up nearly a quarter of the bird’s weight.  Thanks to their massive flight muscles, this chunky sandpiper can reach speed estimated at 60 miles per hour.  Their eyes are set far back on their head so it can see almost as well behind as in front and to the sides.  This makes it difficult for a potential predator to sneak up on a feeding snipe.

 

Wilson’s Snipes can be found in all types of wet, marshy settings with cover to hide in and to provide a safe lookout for predators.  They feed mainly on insect larvae, including flies, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, butterflies and moths.  They feed by burying their bills deep into soft, wet soil to probe for the prey.  The bill’s flexible tip can open to grasp food while the base of the bill stays closed.  Snipe can slurp small prey from the mud without having to remove their bill from the soil.

 

Wilson’s Snipe nest on the ground close to water.  The female makes a shallow scrape in moist soil, then weaves a lining of coarse grasses to build a nest up to 7 inches across and 3 inches deep.  She will lay 2-4 eggs with an incubation period of 18-20 days.  Only the female tends to the eggs and nestlings.  Once hatched, the nestlings are active and covered in tan to chestnut down.  The chicks leave the nest on the day of hatching.  Once the nestlings are ready to fledge, the parents split up the young with the male taking the oldest and the female the youngest.  After leaving the nest the mates have no further contact.

 

Wilson’s Snipe are widespread with a stable population.  They are of low conservation concern.  The oldest known Wilson’s Snipe was at least 9 years, 3 months old based on a band from a bird that was shot in Newfoundland in 1973.