Cryptically colored, usually solitary and somewhat secretive, the Wilson snipe is often flushed before being seen, sometimes exploding from practically underfoot and rocketing off in a corkscrew flight.

This plump-bodied, long-billed bird of open marshland is primarily crepuscular, peaking in feeding activity at dusk and dawn, and often sleeping during the day. In breeding season they become more flamboyant, appearing atop fence posts and displaying their unique winnowing flights from high in the air, their outer tail feathers vibrating with an eerie whistling sound.

They are uncommon and local west of the Cascades in the summer and uncommon and local in the Cascades in the breeding season. They are a common summer resident east of the Cascades. They are uncommon to common in winter at lower elevations along the coast and in inland valleys, and can be locally abundant where birds gather to feed in coastal pastures and other wetlands.

Hear the call of the Wilson's snipe

Photo by Dave Budeau