Photo: Jason Girvan / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Latham’s Snipe
Gallinago hardwickii
Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) — Shorebirds, Gulls & Auks of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) is a member of the Scolopacidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 151 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Charadriiformes
- Family Scolopacidae Sandpipers, Snipes
- Genus Gallinago
- Species hardwickii
Where it lives
Meadows and fields of temperate northeastern Palearctic: eastern Amurland and southern Sakhalin (southeastern Russia) and southern Kuril Is. south through Honshu and ?Kyushu (north to southern Japan)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 151 g
- Diet
- Aquatic hunters
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Habitat
- Urban & human-modified
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Vulnerable
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Latham’s Snipe hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of farmland, parks and gardens, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Latham’s Snipe is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) belongs to the Scolopacidae family of the order Charadriiformes. It occurs naturally across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL meadows and fields of temperate ne Palearctic: e Amurland and s Sakhalin (se Russia) and s Kuril Is. s through Honshu and ?Kyushu (n to s Japan).
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 151 g, with a wing length of about 15.1 cm and a tail of around 6.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 252,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Latham’s Snipe?
The Latham’s Snipe is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 151 g.
Where does the Latham’s Snipe live?
The Latham’s Snipe is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL meadows and fields of temperate ne Palearctic: e Amurland and s Sakhalin (se Russia) and s Kuril Is. s through Honshu and ?Kyushu (n to s Japan), where it adapts readily to towns, parks and gardens.
What family does the Latham’s Snipe belong to?
The Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) belongs to the Scolopacidae family, in the order Charadriiformes.
What does the Latham’s Snipe eat?
The Latham’s Snipe hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Does the Latham’s Snipe migrate?
The Latham’s Snipe is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Latham’s Snipe endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Latham’s Snipe make?
1 real field recording of the Latham’s Snipe — including its flight call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Latham’s Snipe's range?
The Latham’s Snipe has a mapped global range of about 252,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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