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| Query: Wilson's snipe | Result: 2nd of 7 | |
Plate 9: Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus, left, Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago, centre, and Wilson's Snipe G. delicata
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The Wildson's Snipe on the Isles of Scilly
Finally, on 28th October, I visited the British Museum (Tring),
with Peter Colston and AC. We thoroughly examined the 100 Wilson's
Snipe and 600 Common Snipe skins there, and this confirmed beyond
doubt that the Scilly bird was indeed a Wilson's Snipe - the first
British record, although following hotly on the publication earlier
this year of the acceptance of the first for the Western Palearctic,
a juvenile shot near Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on
28th October 1991 (Milne & O'Sullivan 1998).
At a glance, the museum trays showed Wilson's to be noticeably
colder and blacker than Common Snipe, with generally finer
(particularly on juveniles) and whiter edges to the scapulars and
greyer lesser and median coverts (which is possibly why the greater
coverts looked blacker). Some individuals showed buff rather than
white on the scapular edges, but the overall dark appearance seemed
consistent. In fact, in all respects, Wilson's showed less
variability than Common. Other constant differences were the
underwing and axillary pattern, the barring and background colour on
the flanks, and the narrower white tips to the secondaries of a
consistently different shape. On all the skins, the barring on the
axillaries (mostly of equal width black and white, but often more
black than white - the reverse of Common, which always showed more
white than black) was so similar to the barring on the flanks that it
was difficult to see where the two feather tracts met (unlike in
Common). The underwing-coverts were also strongly barred, with
reduced white tips (unlike most Commons). Another frequent feature
not obvious on the Common Snipe was the tiny white 'pips' on the
upper scapulars. Also, in general (although caution is necessary
where old skins are concerned), the central crown stripe and the
loral stripe both seemed narrower on Wilson's.
Obviously, the world's snipe could be the subject of a lifetime's
study, so this discussion and the captions to the accompanying
photographs (written overnight to a deadline) are not meant to be a
definitive study. Meanwhile, it is probably true to say that, during
October 1998, more people looked at more snipe more closely and for
more hours than ever before. It may not be too long before the first
British Pintail Snipe is found.
Plate 9: Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus, left, Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago, centre, and Wilson's Snipe G. delicata
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Lower Moors, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, October 1998 |
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