Fun Wood Snipe Facts For Kids

The wood snipe (Gallinago nemoricola) is a very rare bird that is found in the lower altitudes of the Himalayas. These birds thrive in wet meadows and ponds but are often vulnerable to habitat loss.

Gallinago nemoricola is a species that is spread throughout India, sharing close relations with curlews and snipes along with sandpipers.

The wood snipe is also a regular visitor to Bhutan and north of Vietnam. This species has gone extinct from plenty of locations, including Thimphu and dzongkhag, although when can sight these birds in southern India.

It's also an interesting fact that the Gallinago nemoricola is a species that is also closely related to the Gallinago solitario that is the solitary snipe. The population of these species has been a major concern and various actions are taken in use to further make areas such as Bhutan.

China, Bangladesh, and various regions of India are safe spaces for the wood snipe, Gallinago nemoricola. To learn more about these miracles of nature, make sure to check out our articles on the rose-breasted grosbeak and Indian roller!

Wood Snipe Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a wood snipe?

A wood snipe is a type of bird that is found in the southern regions of India, including with few other neighboring countries.

What class of animal does a wood snipe belong to?

A wood snipe bird comes in Aves class. All the birds are generally allocated the Aves class hence this species too, belongs to the Aves class.

How many wood snipes are there in the world?

Over time the wood snipe as a species in the forests of the Himalayas has faced plenty of threats. Constant habitat loss and hunting, resultant in lowering their population further down year by year. Today there are only 10,000 such birds are present at their natural site.

Where does a wood snipe live?

Nemoricola is a species that is distributed in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and also China. These birds also occur in innumerable states such as Sikkim, Meghalaya, Kerala, and Nagaland along with Assam.

What is a wood snipe's habitat?

The wood snipe, Gallinago nemoricola, mainly prefers to live in forest areas and at around altitudes such as 9845-16404 ft (3000-5000 m). Although during winter they come down to lower altitudes. These birds generally breed in altitude conditions that fall near 9845-16404 ft (3000-5000 m), mainly in bushes and barren. They are not often spotted near seas.

Who do wood snipes live with?

In southern India, these birds are neighbors to many local Indian birds such as the Indian peafowl, and in other habitats, such as Bhutan, and further north this species is assumed to live with birds such as the magpie.

How long does a  wood snipe live?

These birds have a small lifespan. Wood snipe birds mainly only live up to three to four years in the wild.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season occurs in the month of April to June for this species, it might be different for other sub-species of this family. These birds breed the northern side of the Himalayas, mainly Nepal and also southern china.

The wood snipe, Gallinago nemoricola, mainly breeds in alpine meadows, moving further down in the altitude during winter. Nests of these birds are also sighted on boulder-strewn areas and bushes.

What is their conservation status?

This bird's status is Vulnerable. While southern India along with many other places has been home to these tiny birds, they have contained to be facing adverse effects of hunting and habitat loss. These birds are now protected under many regulations and are found in various national parks in Nepal.

Wood Snipe Fun Facts

What do wood snipes look like?

A wood snipe, Gallinago nemoricola, has cream markings and dark patterns. The upper parts of these species, generally the wings are brown to yellow in color, with their long dark bill which is pale on most parts but colored on the buff.

This bird has dark brown eyes and green to gray legs. Their wings are round in shape and they carry brown color stripes from their breast to their neck. These birds are very small in length.

How cute are they?

The tiny wood snipe, Gallinago nemoricola, that occurs in the south of the Himalayas is a very pleasant sight to the eyes. This species is indeed one of the cutest species of birds from Bhutan and India.

How do they communicate?

When a wood snipe, Gallinago nemoricola, breeds in the alpine meadows of bushes, they produce a specific sound during this time while guarding the nest. At the breeding site, calls are very natural and they are often produced in a series of nasal repetitive sounds.

How big is a wood snipe?

A wood snipe (Gallinago nemoricola) is a very tiny species. The snipes are a few of the tiniest bird species from Bhutan and India, showing partial migratory habits during winter. Nonetheless, when compared with a chipping sparrow these birds are three to four times bigger in size. They are almost similar in size to a great-tailed grackle.

How fast can a wood snipe move?

These species exhibit partial migration during the winter season, thus it can be considered that wood snipes move considerably fast.

How much does a wood snipe weigh?

The average weight of an adult wood snipe can be anywhere between 0.4-0.5 lb (0.2-0.25 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

In this species, the female and the male population is often addressed with similar names, both of them are similar in length and color as well. You can address both sexes with the same common name or scientific name.

What would you call a baby wood snipe?

Baby snipes are either called nestlings or hatchlings.

What do they eat?

A major population of this species of bird that is common to Bhutan feeds on worms and seeds, along with snails and several other kinds of invertebrates.

Are they dangerous?

No, this species is not dangerous at all, rather they are in danger of extinction due to constant habitat loss in India and Bhutan.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, wood snipe can be considered to be a good pet, they are quiet and also don't have complex dietary requirements.

Did you know...

These birds thrive the most in Bhutan, despite their constant decrease in population. The local population of Bhutan considers wildlife a gift from nature and takes their safeguarding very seriously.

The wood snipe range map

The wood snipes breed in Himalayas, Nepal, and Bhutan, after which they move south of Himalayas as soon as winter starts and move towards lower altitudes.

Are snipes endangered?

Yes, wood snipes are endangered and they are currently under the status of Vulnerable. Various human activities, majorly hunting have affected this species adversely.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our nightingale facts and black-billed cuckoo facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable wood snipe coloring pages.