Birds Guide

Painted Snipes
Greater Painted Snipe Female (Rostralata benghalensis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Rostratulidae Ridgway, 1919
Distribution of Greater Painted Snipe
Species
Rostralata benghalensis Rostratula australis Nycticryptes semicollaris

Painted snipe are three distinctive wader species placed together in their own family Rostratulidae. They are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but much more brightly coloured.

The female is brighter than the male and takes the lead in courtship. The male incubates the eggs, usually four, in a nest on the ground or floating for about 20 days.

All three species live in reedy swamps, and their diet consists of annelid worms and other invertebrates, which they find with their long bills.

Species of Painted Snipe

The Greater Painted Snipe (Rostralata benghalensis) is found in marshes in Africa, India and South-east Asia.

The Australian Painted Snipe (Rostratula australia) is a rare, nomadic and declining species found only in Australia (Lane & Rogers 2000)

The Lesser Painted Snipe ( Nycticryptes semicollaris), inhabits grassy marshland in southern South America.

External links

• Painted snipe videos on the Internet Bird Collection]
• Greater Painted Snipe
• Painted Snipe

Illustration of Greater Painted Snipe from Hume and Marshall, Gamebirds of India, Burmah and Ceylon.

References

• Lane, B.A.; & Rogers, D.I. (2000). The Australian Painted Snipe, Rostratula (benghalensis) australis: an Endangered species?. Stilt 36: 26-34