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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Scolopacidae
  4. ›
  5. Gallinago
  6. ›
  7. Latham's Snipe
Latham's Snipe
Photo · (c) Terra Occ, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Latham's Snipe

Gallinago hardwickii(Gray, JE, 1831)

Updated 21 March 2026

Conservation status: Least ConcernOrigin: Native
Order
CHARADRIIFORMES
Family
Scolopacidae
Genus
Gallinago

At a glance

The Latham's Snipe is a medium-sized bird, about 29–33 cm long, listed as Least Concern and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
29–33 cm
Conservation status
Least Concern
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Latham's Snipe look like?

The Latham's Snipe is a medium-sized bird, about 29–33 cm long and weighing 116–277 g.

Latham's snipe, also Japanese snipe is a medium-sized, long-billed, migratory snipe of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. The origin of the bird's common name is not clear. John Latham was a well-known English physician and ornithologist in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and had a great interest in Australasian birds. However, he had no apparent connection with the snipe named after him.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
29–33 cm
Weight
116–277 g
Wingspan
50 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Latham's Snipe?

The Latham's Snipe is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Latham's Snipe eat?

The Latham's Snipe feeds on seeds, terrestrial invertebrates and fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Latham's Snipe live in Australia?

The Latham's Snipe is native to Australia, recorded across 53 of Australia’s bioregions, with a core range spanning meadows and fields of temperate north-east Palearctic.

Breeding range
Meadows and fields of temperate north-east Palearctic: east Amurland and south Sakhalin (south-east Russia) and south Kuril Is. south through Honshu and ?Kyushu (north to south Japan)
Non-breeding range
Tropical to temperate freshwater wetlands: east Australia including Tasmania