Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata (Ord, 1825)
Photo © Kris Webb
STATUS
Nearctic. Monotypic.
OVERVIEW
Species not admitted nationally during the period covered (BOU 1971).
NOT PROVEN
0). 1838 Cornwall No locality, killed, January.
(E. H. Rodd, Zoologist 1872: 3149).
[E. Newman, Zoologist 1872: 3149; H. F. Witherby, British Birds 17: 287-288].
History E. H. Rodd of Penzance (1872) in The Zoologist, 2nd series, Vol. VII, p. 3149, dated 17th June 1872, says: 'I may have to report to you officially the occurrence of Scolopax wilsoni as a British bird. In the month of January, 1838, my attention was drawn by Mr. Vingoe to a snipe he had to stuff having sixteen tail-feathers, but in other respects exactly resembling our common S. gallinago. I made a note of it at the time in my interleaved Temminck. This specimen has come into my possession within the last day or two.'
Edward Newman, Editor (1872) in The Zoologist, 2nd series, Vol. VII. p. 3149, says: 'Since the preceding was in type Mr. Rodd has submitted the bird to Mr. Gould, who states that the colour and arrangement of colours of the tail-feathers differ from Scolopax wilsoni. Ornithologists will therefore please to suspend their judgement for the present.'
H. F. Witherby (1924) in British Birds, Vol. XVII. pp. 287-288, says: 'A supposed example of the American Snipe was recorded by E. H. Rodd as having been shot in Cornwall in January, 1838 (Zool., 1872, p. 3149). This bird Mr. Harting (t.c., p. 3273) dismisses as a Common Snipe with 16 tail-feathers, stating that it had a long and stout bill, broad outer tail feathers and axillaries coloured like a British bird.'
Comment Misidentified. Not acceptable.
0). 1863 Buckinghamshire Taplow Court, killed, 1st August.
(Harting, 1872; J. E. Harting, Zoologist 1872: 3273-74; Smart, 1886).
[BOU, 1883; H. F. Witherby, British Birds 17: 288; Not in BOU, 1971].
History J. E. Harting of Lincoln's Inn Fields (1872) in The Zoologist, 2nd series, Vol. VII. pp. 3273-74, undated but in the October, 1872, issue, says: 'The American species, however, has occurred at least once in England, a specimen having been killed in the grounds of Mr. Charles Pascoe Grenfell, at Taplow Court, Bucks., in August, 1863. This specimen as I have stated in my recently published Handbook of British Birds (p. 143), was forwarded in the flesh to Mr. Gould for identification, and while in his possession I had an opportunity of examining it. Strange to say, the tail-feathers numbered only fourteen, but in other respects it could not be distinguished from authenticated specimens of G. wilsoni procured in America. It may have lost the outer tail-feather on each side, these feathers being shed during moult in pairs, or it may never have possessed more than fourteen, for it appears that the number of tail-feathers is not invariably constant.'
Not admitted nationally in their first List of British Birds (BOU 1883).
Smart (1886: 67) says: 'One bird of this species was shot at Taplow Court, Bucks, on 1st August, 1863, it was forwarded at once to Mr. Gould for identification in the flesh, and examined by Mr. Harting. This could not have been an "escaped" bird.'
H. F. Witherby (1924) in British Birds, Vol. XVII. p. 288, says: 'Mr. Harting goes on to record a specimen killed at Taplow Court, Bucks, in August, 1863, which he considers to be the American bird. This bird had, however, only 14 tail-feathers and August is an unlikely month for the occurrence of an American example.'
Comment Misidentified. Not acceptable.
0). 1920 Outer Hebrides South Uist, shot, 26th October.
(R. Meinertzhagen, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 46: 58-61; H. F. Witherby, British Birds 17: 283-288; "J.H.S." Scottish Naturalist 45: 11-12; BOURC (1927), Ibis 69: 311; H. F. Witherby, British Birds 22: 102).
[A. G. Knox, Ibis 135: 320-325; BOURC (1993), Ibis 135: 493-499].
History R. Meinertzhagen (1924) in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, Vol. XLVI. pp. 58-61, says: 'Colonel R. Meinertzhagen also made remarks on the differences between the European Snipe (Capella g. gallinago) and the American Snipe (Capella g. delicata) and the occurrence of the latter form in the British Islands.
The differences between the American Snipe (Capella g. delicata) and the European Snipe (Capella g. gallinago) have been variously described by various authors. Seebohm (Mon. Charadr. p. 487) formulates the extreme differences under five headings - namely, number of tail-feathers, barring on the outer tail-feathers, barring on the axillaries, markings on the breast, and the length of the culmen; and, whilst stating that these differences are constant in the American Snipe, they are not constant in the European Snipe. At the same time Seebohm admits that he has seen a European Snipe which embodies all the characters of an American Snipe....Number of tail-feathers. In the European Snipe the rectrices usually number 14, but as few as 12, and as many as 18, have been recorded. In the American Snipe the number of rectrices seems to be constantly 16. This difference is therefore merely an indication, and cannot be taken as a reliable character. Markings on outer tail-feathers. Seebohm states that there are usually three bars on the outer rectrices of the European Snipe and five on those of the American form. I cannot confirm this. In American Snipe the barring is narrower and there are consequently more bars, frequently as many as 7. This number is also occasionally reached by European birds.
Barring on axillaries. Western examples of the European Snipe usually have well-barred axillaries, the amount of white generally exceeding the amount of dark. About 8 per cent, of birds examined have white axillaries with a few black marks either in the form of rudimentary bars or longitudinal marks. Pure white axillaries are very rare. The further east one goes, the more predominant becomes white in the axillaries. Well-barred examples from Eastern Asia are not the rule. In the American Snipe the barring on the axillaries is invariably, as far as I have been able to ascertain, heavy, dark, and clean-cut, the black bars always equalling and usually exceeding the white bars in breadth. European Snipe frequently have axillaries indistinguishable from those of the American bird, and the character can only be termed indicative.
Markings on breast. Seebohm states that in the American Snipe the breast-markings are transverse, whilst in European birds they are longitudinal. This is not a sure character, as in at least 10 per cent, of American birds examined the marking on the breast is longitudinal. Moreover, transverse barring on the breast does occasionally occur in European examples, though it is admittedly rare. This character can therefore only be indicative.
Length of culmen. Only males will be considered. Hartert gives the measurement of culmens of European Snipe as (69-79. (In all cases culmen-measurements have been taken from junction of culmen with skull, and where it has been measured by authors from feathers 5 mm. has been added as compensation.) The 'Handbook of British Birds' gives the measurement of 12 males as 65-73 mm. Eleven British taken males in our collection have culmens 67-77, and eleven males from Eastern Asia have culmens 63-79. If we, for the moment, disregard the doubtful race "raddei" we then have the culmens of European Snipe varying from 63-79 in a large series. These measurements are confirmed by the vast series from throughout the Palearctic Region and Africa in the British Museum. 22 males of the American Snipe in the British Museum have culmens measuring 64-73. Ridgway gives the culmens of 18 American males as 62.5-72.5 mm. All we can say of this character is that the culmen of the American Snipe does not exceed 73, whereas that of the European Snipe ranges up to 79 mm.
Breadth of outer tail-feathers. It is curious that this character has been overlooked by European authors. In the European bird, at 20 mm. distance from the tip of the outer tail-feather, the breadth of the feather is rarely less than 10 mm., whereas in the American bird it rarely if ever, exceeds 9 mm., a very slight difference, but considerable when applied to such small objects. Of 40 European Snipe the largest breadth is 12.5 mm. and the smallest 8 (once), then 9.5 mm. Of 40 American Snipe the broadest is 9 mm. and the narrowest 4 mm. As far as one can see, the breadth of the outer tail-feather is the only sure character in the American Snipe which is not shared by European birds.
Occurrence in the British Isles. Harting recorded an example of the American Snipe from Taplow, Buckinghamshire, on August 1st, 1863. The locality and date are most unlikely for the occurrence of a straggler from America, and the record has not been accepted. On Oct. 26th, 1920, I selected a Snipe with 16 tail-feathers from several shot in South Uist. One tail-feather was inadvertently lost in skinning the bird. As European Snipe occasionally occur with more than 14 tail-feathers, little attention was paid to this bird until a short time ago, when I became interested in the differences between the two forms and critically examined this South Uist specimen. In this specimen:
(1) The number of tail-feathers is 16.
(2) The barring on the outer tail-feathers is close.
(3) The axillaries are dark and clear-cut, the black bars equalling the white bars.
(4) The breast-markings are transverse.
(5) The culmen is 67 mm., coming well within the measurement of American birds.
(6) The breadth of the outer tail-feather at 20 mm. from its tip is 8 mm.
I therefore conclude that our South Uist specimen belongs to the American race, and it appears to be the first authentic record from Europe."
H. F. Witherby (1924) in British Birds, Vol. XVII. pp. 283-288, says: 'At the meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club held on February 13th, 1924, Colonel R. Meinertzhagen made some remarks on the differences between the Common Snipe (Capella g. gallinago) and the American Snipe (Capella g. delicata) and at the same time exhibited a Snipe shot in South Uist, Outer Hebrides, on October 26th, 1920, which had all the characters of the American bird and was in his opinion an example of that race. Colonel Meinertzhagen also considered this to be the first authentic record from Europe (see Bull. B.O.C., Vol. XLIV. pp. 58-61)....'
"J.H.S." (1925) in the Scottish Naturalist, Vol. XLV. pp. 11-12, says: 'At the meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club held in London on 13th February this year, Colonel R. Meinertzhagen recorded the occurrence of an example of Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago gallinago delicata) in South Uist on 26th October 1920. When shot, it was regarded as probably belonging to the European race of Snipe, and it was only recently that a correct identification was made....'
Admitted nationally in the Fifth List Report as the first for Britain (BOURC (1927) Ibis 69: 311).
H. F. Witherby (1928) in British Birds, Vol. XXII. p. 102, under 'Additions to the British List,' says: 'The American Snipe Capella gallinago delicata (Ord). See Brit. Birds XVII. pp. 283-8.'
A. G. Knox (1993) in The Ibis, Vol. CXXXV. pp. 320-325, exposed the many frauds of Richard Meinertzhagen.
No longer admitted nationally (BOURC (1993) Ibis 135: 493-499).
0). 1957 Greater Manchester Rumworth Reservoir, Bolton, Lancashire, picked up dead, 30th September, now at Bolton Museum.
(A. Hazelwood, British Birds 51: 35-36; Spencer, 1973).
[BOU (1993), Ibis 135: 493-499].
History A. Hazelwood (1958) in British Birds, Vol. LI. pp. 35-36, says "On 30th September 1957, Mr. Stephen Brady brought into the Bolton Museum a Snipe (Capella gallinago) which he had picked up dead near Rumworth Reservoir, Bolton, Lancashire. The bird was very stale, but I managed to preserve it since at first glance it was extremely dark. Subsequent examination showed that in every characteristic it resembles the North American race delicata (which is generally known as Wilson's Snipe in the United States). Through the kindness of Colonel R. Meinertzhagen I was able to compare it with a wide range of skin material and with a series of preparations of axillaries and outer tail-feathers from British and American birds.
Apart from the darker tone throughout, the Rumworth bird is quite strongly barred on the upper breast and has the flanks closely and heavily barred, while the axillaries have more black than the normal European type. The most critical factor, however, is the width of the outer tail-feather which is only 5 mm. measured at 20 mm. from the tip. Several of the tail-feathers are unfortunately missing and it is not therefore possible to be certain as to their original number.
Although the Snipe is a variable bird, it is extremely unlikely that a chance variant would embrace all the characters of the North American form and added credence may be given to the record by the number of other Nearctic waders which occurred about the same time. Although there is only one other acceptable record for the British Isles, it is hardly likely that the race could ever satisfactorily be determined in the field or that many of the large number shot annually are critically examined, although the width of the outer tail-feathers is a ready and reliable guide.
It may be pertinent to remark that I can find no observation as to the comparative sounds made by either race in drumming, although the difference in the width of the outer tail-feathers can hardly fail to produce vibrations of different timbre.'
After further examination it was considered not acceptable (BOURC (1993) Ibis 135: 493-499).
