Imperial snipe
Gallinago imperialis P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1869
The imperial snipe (Gallinago imperialis) is a species in the family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 252 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.
Quick facts about the imperial snipe
- Weight
- 252 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the imperial snipe live?
Not recorded
What is the imperial snipe?
The imperial snipe (Gallinago imperialis) is a small stocky wader which breeds in the Andes. For a century it was known only from two specimens collected near Bogotá, Colombia, and was presumed extinct, but it was rediscovered in Peru in 1967 and Ecuador in 1988. It is not known if it is migratory.
From the Wikipedia article “Imperial snipe” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_snipe&oldid=1376983924), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the imperial snipe endangered?
The imperial snipe is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species. What the categories mean.
How is the imperial snipe classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyScolopacidae
- genusGallinago
- SpeciesGallinago imperialis P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1869
Synonyms Capella imperialis, Chubbia imperialis
Other names and names in other languages (32)
- Banded snipeEnglish
- شنقب إمبراطوريArabic
- القناص الامبراطورىEgyptian Arabic
- Gioc'h impalaerelBreton
- becadell imperialCatalan
- bekasina královskáCzech
- gïach rhesogWelsh
- KejserbekkasinDanish
- KaiserbekassineGerman
- imperia galinagoEsperanto
- Agachadiza imperialSpanish
- Becasina ImperialSpanish
- inkaneppEstonian
- پاشلک شاهیPersian
- inkakurppaFinnish
- Bécassine impérialeFrench
- riđa šljukaCroatian
- császár sárszalonkaHungarian
- Beccaccino imperialeItalian
- セジマタシギJapanese
- karališkasis perkūno oželisLithuanian
- KeizersnipDutch
- keiserbekkasinNorwegian
- bekas kasztanowatyPolish
- narceja-imperialPortuguese
- Королевский бекасRussian
- močiarnica kráľovskáSlovak
- kejsarbeckasinSwedish
- Kral ÇullukTurkish
- баранець королівськийUkrainian
- 暗褐沙锥Chinese
- 大厚嘴沙錐Chinese
Relatives of the imperial snipe
Other species in the same genus Gallinago.
Common snipe
Gallinago gallinago
Great snipe
Gallinago media
Pin-tailed snipe
Gallinago stenura
Solitary snipe
Gallinago solitaria
Swinhoe's snipe
Gallinago megala
Wilson's snipe
Gallinago delicata
CompareImperial snipe vs Common snipeImperial snipe vs Great snipeImperial snipe vs Pin-tailed snipeImperial snipe vs Solitary snipe
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the imperial snipe?
An adult imperial snipe weighs 252 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the imperial snipe endangered?
The imperial snipe is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.
What kind of animal is the imperial snipe?
The imperial snipe (Gallinago imperialis) belongs to the family Scolopacidae in the order Charadriiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Imperial snipe (Gallinago imperialis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/imperial-snipe
“Imperial snipe (Gallinago imperialis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/imperial-snipe.
@misc{imperial_snipe_2026,
title = {Imperial snipe (Gallinago imperialis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/imperial-snipe},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}