Gallinago

Gallinago
Common snipe
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Suborder:	Scolopaci
Family:	Scolopacidae
Genus:	Gallinago Brisson, 1760
Species
17, see text
Synonyms
Capella

Gallinago is a genus of birds in the wader family Scolopacidae, containing 17 species. This genus contains the majority of the world's snipe species, the other two extant genera being Coenocorypha, with two species, and Lymnocryptes, the jack snipe. Morphologically, they are all similar, with a very long slender bill and cryptic plumage. Most have distinctive displays, usually given at dawn or dusk. They search for invertebrates in the mud with a "sewing-machine" action of their long bills.

Species in taxonomic order

• Solitary snipe, Gallinago solitaria
• Latham's snipe, Gallinago hardwickii
• Wood snipe, Gallinago nemoricola
• Pin-tailed snipe, Gallinago stenura
• Swinhoe's snipe, Gallinago megala
• African snipe, Gallinago nigripennis
• Madagascar snipe, Gallinago macrodactyla
• Great snipe, Gallinago media
• Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago
• Wilson's snipe, Gallinago delicata
• South American snipe, Gallinago paraguaiae
• Puna snipe, Gallinago andina
• Noble snipe, Gallinago nobilis
• Giant snipe, Gallinago undulata
• Fuegian snipe, Gallinago stricklandii
• Andean snipe, Gallinago jamesoni
• Imperial snipe, Gallinago imperialis

Fossil bones of some undescribed Gallinago species most similar to the great snipe have been recovered in Late Miocene or Early Pliocene deposits (c. 5 mya) of Lee Creek Mine, USA.

References

• Hayman, Marchant and Prater, Shorebirds ISBN 0-7099-2034-2