Species details

Swinhoe's Snipe

Gallinago megala

Gallinago megala

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Only reliable way to differentiate between the two is by the shape of the outer tail feathers. In Pin-tailed Snipes, the outer eight pairs of tail feathers (sometimes six to nine pairs) are very thin (all less than 2mm wide) while in Swinhoe’s the outermost pair is narrowest (between 2 to 4mm), and subsequent tail feathers becoming increasingly broader towards the center. However, this feature is exceptionally difficult to observe in the field.


Abundance
Rare


Chinese Name
大沙锥


Habitat
Wetland


Malay Name
Burung Berkek Tiruk


Tamil name
ச்வின்ஹோ உள்ளான்