Gallinago nigripennis Bonaparte, 1839

Size

This species of snipe, Gallinago nigripennis, is 30–32 cm (12–13 in) long. As a wader, it has a stocky body and relatively short legs.

Dorsal Plumage

Its upperparts, head, and neck are streaked and patterned with bold dark brown stripes; the gold edges of its feathers form lines running down its back.

Ventral Plumage

The belly is white, with some brown barring on the flanks that never extends to the belly.

Bill Characteristics

Its very long, straight bill is pinkish-brown and fairly robust.

Limb Coloration

The legs and feet range in color from yellowish-olive to greenish-grey.

Sexual Dimorphism

Males and females are similar in appearance.

Immature Plumage

Immature birds differ only by having pale fringes on the wing coverts.

Vocalizations

When taking off, this snipe produces a hleep call; during the breeding season, it has a far-carrying kip call.

Flight Plumage Features

In flight, it displays white trailing edges on the wings and white tail corners.

Sympatric Similar Species

Within its range, this African snipe can only be confused with three migratory snipe species: the common snipe, pin-tailed snipe, and great snipe.

Great Snipe Distinction

The great snipe is noticeably larger, darker, and has a relatively shorter bill.

Pin-tailed Snipe Distinction

The pin-tailed snipe lacks white trailing wing edges and has very little white on its tail corners.

Common Snipe Ground Identification

The common snipe is very similar to the African snipe, though the African species is darker on its upperparts and has a longer bill; identifying the two when they are on the ground is very difficult.

Common Snipe Flight Identification

In flight, the African snipe has slower, more fluttering flight on more rounded wings, zig-zags less when flushed, and often shows noticeably more extensive white in the tail.