The haunting sound of the Wilson’s snipe is a familiar one around this province’s bogs, fens and wet meadows.
The haunting sound of the Wilson’s snipe is a familiar one around this province’s bogs, fens and wet meadows.
“More people have heard rather than seen the bird – which is listed in The Dictionary of Newfoundland English as a snite or twillick,” said Dr. Ted Miller, professor and acting head of the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science.
He says the bird’s distinctive bleating or winnowing sound is produced by the outermost spread tail feathers of male birds as they descend rapidly in aerial displays over their breeding territories.
Hidden species
That unique sound, which is different from that of the common snipe of Eurasia, was used as scientific evidence in 2002 to recognize Wilson’s and common snipes as separate species.
Continue reading at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Image via Memorial University of Newfoundland.
