Distribution and abundance of the Wilson's snipe in western Canada

Abstract

1. An extensive field check was made of snipe habitat in those parts of western Canada (excluding most of British Columbia) which are accessible by road. 2. Nesting snipe were found to be very scarce in the whole Short-grass Prairie region, widely distributed and locally common in the Parklands, local and uncommon in the Boreal Forest country, and consistently common in the only area of forest-tundra transition for which data are available. 3. If further investigations confirm that the area of greatest abundance is in the forest-tundra transition, then weather conditions and predation appear to be the major factors influencing the breeding snipe population -- habitat conditions remaining fairly stable. 4. Although drainage and other human activities may have been responsible in the past for reduction of the population of nesting snipe in the southern part of the Prairie Provinces, the population now in that area is so low and scattered that no appreciable further threat is imposed by human activities if, as now seems likely, the principal nesting populations are not there but in the North.