Breeding distribution of the Pantanal Snipe Gallinago paraguaiae and Giant Snipe G. undulata in French Guiana based on acoustic monitoring

I estimated the distribution and numbers of breeding Pantanal Snipe Gallinago paraguaiae and Giant Snipe G. undulata in the threatened coastal savannas of French Guiana (South America) from January 2020 to December 2021. With the assistance of a team of volunteers, I sampled nocturnal acoustic displays at 40 sites, mainly wet savannas, from 44 listening points (human observer; total of 33 hours) and by making 45 night-long recordings. The Pantanal Snipe had a restricted distribution: the species was detected only in the eastern part of the country. Giant Snipe was more common and was detected in almost all undisturbed wet savannas that were surveyed. Both species displayed throughout the night. We recorded Pantanal Snipe displays in nine consecutive months, but not during the dry season. In contrast, Giant Snipe displayed and possibly bred around the year, although its display activity varied over the dry season. Based on this survey, I estimated the numbers of individuals in French Guiana to be 440 Pantanal Snipe and 1,970 Giant Snipe.