Bird Guide

Greater Painted-snipe

Rostratula benghalensis

Least ConcernInvertebratesWetlandPlatform nestMedium · 121 g

About the Greater Painted-snipe

The greater painted-snipe is a species of wader in the small painted-snipe family Rostratulidae. It widely distributed across Africa and southern Asia and is found in a variety of wetland habitats, including swamps and the edges of larger water bodies such as lakes and rivers. This species is sexually dimorphic with the female being larger and more brightly coloured than the male. The female is normally polyandrous with the males incubating the eggs and caring for the young.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

The greater painted-snipe is a medium-sized shorebird with an overall length of 23–28 cm (9.1–11.0 in). The species is sexually dimorphic: females are larger, heavier, and have bolder plumage than males. The female has a black head with a buff stripe and a white eye-patch. The neck is dark rufous. The upperparts are mostly dark bronze-green finely barred with black. A white stripe curves around the shoulder mantle. The underbody is white. The male is much paler and less uniform with barring on the scapulars and wing-coverts.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where the Greater Painted-snipe lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

Recorded as a rare visitor in Saudi Arabia, Equatorial Guinea, Mayotte, Qatar, Tajikistan.

When to see the Greater Painted-snipe

Peak activity in May · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

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