Latham's Snipe

Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) is a large cryptic snipe with long straight bill, striped crown and strongly patterned brown-and-buff plumage. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in Japan and eastern Russia, then migrates to Australasian wetlands where it probes soft ground for invertebrates. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).