Latham’s Snipe
Gallingo hardwickii
IUCN status: Near Threatened
Flyway population 35 000 (2022 estimate)
Identification
Shy, cryptically plumaged long-billed wader, usually seen when flushed.
Latham’s Snipe © 2010 Peter Boyd
Plumage
Adult Plumage: The crown, nape, lores and ear coverts are dark brown, there is a central pale stripe on the crown and a pale buff supercilium. The rest of the upperparts are dark brown with the feathers are streaked and scalloped with buff. The chin, throat and breast are buff with strong brown markings. The flanks, belly and vent are buff, the flanks having brown barring. The bill is straight, long and brown with a darker tip. The legs are olive-green.
Juvenile: Similar to the adult plumage.
Confusing Species
The other Snipe species: Pintail Snipe and Swinhoe’s Snipe. Probably only really distinguishable in the hand.
The distinguishing characteristics show a degree of overlap.
Distribution
Breeds in northern Japan. Migrates to Australia and New Zealand. Found in grasses and sedge around freshwater wetlands.
Monthly reports of Latham’s Snipe in Queensland
Best sites in Queensland to see Latham’s Snipe
Population trends:
Number of shorebird areas used in the trend analysis: 5
Generation time: 3 years (Bird et al. 2020)
Percent change in abundance over three generations: -16.80 (95%CI: -85.29, 404.30)
Percent change in abundance between 1993 and 2021: -66.15 (95%CI: -94.38, 110.60)
Percent annual change in abundance between 1993 and 2021: -3.79 (95%CI: -9.77, 2.70)
Percent annual change in abundance between 1993 and 2012: 1.94 (95%CI: -6.06, 10.03)
Percent annual change in abundance between 2012 and 2021: -0.31 (95%CI: -18.33, 22.34)
Change in annual growth rate between 1993-2012 and 2012-2021: -0.022 (95%CI: -0.24, 0.20)
(Data from Rogers,Fuller and Amano 2023 – see ref 4)
International and Nationally Important sites in Queensland
| Significant Bird Area | Year | Peak Count | International | National |
| Moreton Bay | 2022 | 55 | No | Yes |
Conservation
EPBC listing: Vulnerable, Marine, Migratory
Approved conservation advice:
References
- BirdLife Australia (2023). Latham’s Snipe. [Text before updates sourced from: Marchant, S. et al (eds) 1990-2006 Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds.Volume 1 to 7.] Birdlife Australia. Birdlife Australia. Source: https://hanzab.birdlife.org.au/species/lathams-snipe/ Accessed: April 30, 2026 Time Zone: +10:00
- van Gils, J., P. Wiersma, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.latsni1.01
- eBird. 2021. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org (Accessed: Date 12/4/2026)
- Rogers A, Fuller RA & Amano T (2023) Australia’s migratory shorebirds: Trends and prospects. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Queensland, Brisbane.
- Geering, Andrew, Lindsay Agnew, and Sandra Harding, eds. Shorebirds of Australia. Csiro Publishing, 2007.
- Driessen, J., Kidd, L. R., Weller, D. R., Purnell, C., Maguire, G., Jaensch, R., and LeClair, S. M. (2025). Australian National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
- van Swinderen, L., Hansen, B.D., Fuller, R.A., Watkins, D., Rogers, D.I., Clemens, R.S., Newman, M., Woehler, E.J., Weller, D.R. and LeClair, S. (2025). Revision of the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Population Estimates for 37 listed Migratory Shorebird Species. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
- https://sproggies63.github.io/birding_apps/