The white-bellied seedsnipe is a species of bird in suborder Scolopaci of order Charadriiformes, the shorebirds. It is found Argentina and Chile.
Region
Southern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs in southern Chile and Argentina, including Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. It favors open, windswept habitats such as Patagonian steppe, cushion bogs, rocky slopes, and heathlands. On the Falklands it uses coastal tussac fringes and upland moor. During harsher seasons it may shift locally to more sheltered, snow-free patches.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Despite belonging to the shorebird order, the white-bellied seedsnipe is largely vegetarian, browsing on buds and leaves in windswept southern landscapes. Its mottled plumage makes it exceptionally cryptic among rocks and heath. The species name refers to the Falkland Islands (Îles Malouines), part of its range. It often flushes at close range and flies low with rapid, whirring wingbeats.
Temperament
wary and cryptic
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in pairs during the breeding season and in small, loose groups at other times. Nests on the ground in a shallow scrape lined with plant fragments. Both parents are involved in care; downy chicks are precocial and follow adults soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft whistles and piping notes, often given in short series. Display calls from males are clearer, carrying over open moor and steppe, while contact calls are quieter and more clipped.
Plumage
Densely mottled and barred brown, buff, and grey above with a clean white belly and vent; feathers have fine vermiculations that blend with stony ground.
Diet
Feeds primarily on seeds, buds, leaves, and shoots of grasses and cushion plants. On subantarctic islands it also takes berries such as crowberry when available. It may ingest small pebbles for grit to aid digestion. Insects are taken rarely and incidentally.
Preferred Environment
Forages on open ground, among cushion bogs, rocky outcrops, and windswept moorland. Often feeds close to sheltering microhabitats like lee sides of rocks or low vegetation in strong winds.
