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Greater Painted-snipe

Rostratula benghalensis
Least Concern
Video
Greater_Painted-Snipe_Male_Female_Chiu_S_C_760032_720P
Malay
Meragi
Chinese
彩鹬
Tamil

The Greater Painted Snipe has a vast range across the Old World, inhabiting tropical and subtropical wetlands from Africa and Madagascar, across the Indian subcontinent, through Southeast Asia, to southern China, southern Japan. It is well known for its stunning plumages, especially the brighter females which are vibrant with reddish-brown heads, green-tinged backs, and white underparts wheareas the duller males are cryptically colored brown with orange/tan spots.

They are fairly common throughout West Malaysia and also found on Penang Island, in marshes, grassy wetlands and paddy fields. They are our only resident “snipe” although they are not true snipes.

They are polyandrous, with the female being larger and brighter, and display unique hoots during courtship.

https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/greater-painted-snipe-rostratula-benghalensis

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