African Snipe vs Latham's Snipe

African Snipe

Gallinago nigripennis

Medium112 gWetland

This 30–32 cm (12–13 in) long snipe has a stocky body and relatively short legs for a wader. Its upperparts, head and neck are streaked and patterned with bold dark brown stripes and gold edges to the feathers forming lines down its back. The belly is white, with some brown barring on the flanks but never on the belly. The pinkish-brown bill is very long, straight and fairly robust. The legs and feet are yellowish-olive to greenish-grey. The sexes are similar, and immatures differ only in showing pale fringes on the wing coverts.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Andrew Deacon · CC0

Latham's Snipe

Gallinago hardwickii

Medium151 gUrban

The snipe is 29–33 cm long, with a wingspan of 50–54 cm and weight of 150–230 g. It is identifiable as a Gallinago snipe by its cryptically-patterned black, brown, buff and white plumage. However, in the field it is not easily distinguished from Swinhoe's snipe and the pin-tailed snipe, though it is slightly larger.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark · CC BY 2.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: African Snipe and Latham's Snipe.