• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note
Previously lumped as a subspecies of Gallinago paraguaiae (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) but case for separation presented by Miller et al. (2020) is very strong based on acoustic (vocal and non-vocal) displays, backed by definite plumage differences (paler back, more variegated coloration) and longer wings. Monotypic.

Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2022. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2022	Least Concern
2016	Not Recognised
2012	Not Recognised
2008	Not Recognised
2004	Not Recognised
2000	Not Recognised
1994	Not Recognised
1988	Not Recognised

Migratory status	full migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	2,600,000 km2
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	50000-1027000 mature individuals	poor	suspected	2022
Population trend	decreasing	-	suspected	-
Generation length	3.79 years	-	-	-

Population justification: The population in southern South America is suspected to number 25,000-1,000,000 mature individuals, while the population on the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) is placed in the band 15,000-27,000 mature individuals (Wetlands International 2022). The total population may therefore number 50,000-1,027,000 mature individuals, though the true population size is likely closer to the upper end of the band.

Trend justification: The population in southern South America is suspected to be stable, while the population on the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) has unknown trends (Wetlands International 2022). It is however feared that the latter has declined as a consequence of habitat loss through burning of grasslands and of shooting (Van Gils et al. 2021). Precautionarily, the overall population is suspected to be in slow decline.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Argentina	extant	native	yes
Chile	extant	native	yes
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial	Pastureland	suitable	resident
Grassland	Temperate	suitable	resident
Shrubland	Subantarctic	suitable	resident
Wetlands (inland)	Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands	major	resident
Altitude	0 - 2000 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Species mortality
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression - Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion

Purpose	Scale
Food - human	subsistence

---

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Magellanic Snipe Gallinago magellanica. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/magellanic-snipe-gallinago-magellanica on 28/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 28/11/2024.