Wood Snipe

The wood snipe is a dark snipe 28 to 32cm long with a short, broad-based bill. It breeds in the Himalayas of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and southern China, in alpine meadows above 3,000m between May and July, nesting on boulders near rhododendron shrubs. In winter it moves to lower altitudes (Wikipedia, general species account).

A 2021 study in Sichuan found that breeding birds preferred the lower parts of the alpine meadow, at 3,378 to 3,624m, with intermediate soil moisture, and foraged where soil animals were most abundant. It eats invertebrates, mainly worms, plus seeds and larvae found in Chauri dung, and it is reportedly well known to Chauri herders in the Himalayas. The widespread loss of wetland habitat is a major reason for its decline.