Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Snipe has surged: up 662% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Wilson's Snipe
The Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) is a North American member of the Sandpipers & Allies (Scolopacidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the shorebirds.
- Size
- 5–26 in long (13–66 cm) — a probing shorebird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Shorelines, mudflats, beaches, flooded fields and wet meadows.
- Diet
- Invertebrates probed or picked from mud, sand and shallow water.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,268 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 27 states, most concentrated in the Northern Rockies.
- Family
- Scolopacidae · Shorebirds
Notable Wilson's Snipe Trends
Wilson's Snipe has surged in surveyed states: up 662% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Wilson's Snipe Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Wilson's Snipe is projected to rise about 33% by 2029 — from 0.89 in 2024 to a central estimate of 1.2 (95% range 0.80–1.6). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±35.4%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.1 | 0.76 | 1.5 |
| 2026 | 1.2 | 0.77 | 1.5 |
| 2027 | 1.2 | 0.78 | 1.6 |
| 2028 | 1.2 | 0.79 | 1.6 |
| 2029 | 1.2 | 0.80 | 1.6 |
Where the Wilson's Snipe Is Detected
BBS routes recording Wilson's Snipe, sized by most recent count.
Wilson's Snipe Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +102% | 1976 | 116 |
| Arizona | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| California | +11% | 1972 | 49 |
| Colorado | +87% | 1970 | 99 |
| Idaho | -63% | 1970 | 54 |
| Illinois | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Maine | -84% | 1968 | 59 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Michigan | -6% | 1968 | 62 |
| Minnesota | +160% | 1969 | 77 |
| Montana | +32% | 1970 | 106 |
| Nebraska | 15× | 1975 | 25 |
| Nevada | +3% | 1971 | 26 |
| New Hampshire | -55% | 1968 | 12 |
| New Mexico | -8% | 1988 | 6 |
| New York | +154% | 1968 | 70 |
| North Dakota | 35× | 1971 | 45 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oregon | +0% | 1970 | 87 |
| Pennsylvania | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| South Dakota | +321% | 1973 | 42 |
| Utah | +78% | 1979 | 52 |
| Vermont | +263% | 1968 | 24 |
| Washington | +119% | 1970 | 60 |
| Wisconsin | -62% | 1968 | 76 |
| Wyoming | +241% | 1971 | 99 |
Wilson's Snipe Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -2% | 1985 | 24 |
| BCR 3 | +164% | 1995 | 5 |
| BCR 4 | +104% | 1976 | 67 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +626% | 1972 | 61 |
| Great Basin | +39% | 1970 | 163 |
| Northern Rockies | -24% | 1970 | 190 |
| Prairie Potholes | 34× | 1970 | 100 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +69% | 1968 | 109 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -1% | 1968 | 42 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -13% | 1968 | 113 |
| Sierra Nevada | -76% | 1974 | 16 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +167% | 1970 | 128 |
| Badlands and Prairies | 18× | 1971 | 92 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | +4% | 1982 | 24 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | 25× | 1975 | 12 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -38% | 1975 | 9 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -51% | 1968 | 81 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -39% | 1969 | 21 |
| Coastal California | +69% | 1974 | 9 |
Wilson's Snipe Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 662% since 1968. Many shorebirds have declined steeply, reflecting pressure on the coastal and wetland stopovers they depend on.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.