By Karen Menard 

Just like the coyote is sometimes referred to as the “ghost dog,” due to its cryptic coloration and swift ability to meld with its surroundings, there also exists a type of “ghost bird,” often living side by side in the same wet prairie or marsh habitats.

This mystical species, otherwise known as the Wilson’s Snipe, is sometimes only experienced in the shadows of the darkness or the early morning light via the haunting echoes of its ghostly, “wou-wou-wou,” sound, cast across the landscape.  How the actual resonance is produced is just as equally bizarre as the sound itself. 

Its signature phantom noise does not emanate from the depths of its throat, but is actually generated by the vibration of its outermost tail feathers while rising and diving at a speed of 25 miles per hour (click here). This springtime spectacle of both ethereal sound and flight is performed against the veil of the night sky, often as part of a courtship display.

Powered by massive pectoral muscles that comprise nearly a quarter of its body weight, this mighty shorebird can reach flight speeds of almost 60 miles per hour! Bound for the starry heavens, its rotund, stocky stature has the ability to achieve lift effortlessly, yet with purpose. 

And, again, like the wily coyote, who is known for its sensory perceptive qualities, the snipe also compares in its sharp ability to let nothing go unnoticed. 

Its life of secrecy has no secrets.

With eyes specially positioned behind the forehead, snipe are biologically privy to seeing the world from almost a 360 degree view, forever aware of what may be lurking in the shadowy background.

….and, under ground!               

The extra-long bill is equipped with specialized sensory pits that function to detect and locate hidden invertebrate prey from the muddy depths of the earth, all able to be swallowed wholly while still below--buried beak and all!

Wearing the colors of dried grasses on its back, these masters of concealment are experts at nesting on the ground. Easily becoming one with its environment and hidden in plain sight, it is usually only spotted during the daytime hours if flushed from a nest.

Larger, contiguous wet prairie habitats in the Metroparks are ideal sites; and the additional acreage in the Oak Openings region acquired and restored in the recent past has greatly benefitted this species in offering much quality habitat, further ensuring breeding success.

In the Metroparks, these unique birds can be heard near their nesting sites at larger wet prairie tracts at Oak Openings Preserve, on adjacent, restored Metropark sites throughout the Oak Openings corridor and at Pearson wetlands. If you are nearby one of these areas on an early spring morning or later in the evening, take time for a quick pause to see if you can hear the mysterious echoes of our own resident ghost bird, gliding and diving through the night air.

Photos: Adult Wilson’s Snipe (Stock photo); Nest with eggs (Val Hornyak) found recently on Metroparks property in the Oak Openings Corridor