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As Kevin Perozeni moves through marshy fields at night carrying a large net, specialized spotlight and thermal camera, one might assume he’s the latest victim of the classic practical joke known as a “snipe hunt.”
You would be partially correct.
But instead of being sent into the night to search for a non-existent bird, Perozeni — a doctoral student in the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management — is hunting for the very real Wilson’s snipe, one of North America’s most elusive and understudied migratory shorebirds.
With guidance from Ashley Long, Ph.D., department associate professor and Caesar Kleberg Endowed Chair in Wildlife Ecology, his scientific research is already revealing previously undocumented behaviors that could shape what scientists know about the species’ migration across the continent.
Identifying a research need
The Wilson’s snipe is one of about 20-30 snipe species found worldwide, Perozeni said.
The snipe hunt joke endures partly because Wilson’s snipes are genuinely difficult to find. The birds are cryptically patterned, prefer swampy or marsh-like habitats, and migrate primarily at night.
“Despite their broad distribution, documented population declines of similar species and status as one of only two legally hunted shorebirds in the U.S., snipe remain understudied everywhere they occur,” he said. “Simply put, we don’t know what these eccentric shorebirds are doing year-round, or whether their populations are stable.”
That gap creates real challenges for conservation and long-term habitat management.
“This information is necessary to effectively manage the species, predict how snipe may respond to future changes in land use or environmental conditions, and ensure future hunting opportunities for this unique migratory shorebird continue,” Perozeni said.
Gulf Coast birds provide a window of opportunity
The Wilson’s snipe travel vast distances every year — flying across Central and North America during their fall and spring migrations.
Perozeni said many of the birds rely on the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and Gulf Coast both as a migratory pathway and a place to overwinter.
“Because we see so many of the birds here in Texas and Louisiana during the winter months, we have the opportunity to learn a lot about their movement ecology and habitat use — where they’re coming from, how long they stay, what migratory paths they use, what sort of landscapes they rely on during migration and more,” he said.
During the winter of 2024 and 2025, Perozeni and two field technicians captured 68 Wilson’s snipe across five study sites in Texas and Louisiana, equipping 35 with GPS transmitters. One site was located on Texas A&M University property, just minutes away from the main campus.
First findings challenge what researchers thought they knew
Their efforts have already resulted in the documentation of previously unrecorded migratory behaviors and strategies in the species.
While the top speed of a Wilson’s snipe was previously estimated at 60 mph, Perozeni recorded one flying nearly 75 mph. Flight altitudes vary dramatically: some birds migrated as high as 5,200 feet, while many flew just 150-300 feet off the ground.
Perozeni also found that the birds tagged in Louisiana and Texas differ in their migratory pathway and breeding range.
“Many of the birds tagged in Louisiana stopped over in southern Illinois and Missouri before continuing north to breed in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories,” he said. “In contrast, birds tagged in Texas often crossed the Great Plains into the Rockies and settled into breeding territories across Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Alberta and as far north as Alaska.”
To better understand migration patterns beyond his study area, Perozeni is working with hunters across the U.S. to collect feathers from harvested birds for stable isotope analysis. The process measures the isotopic composition of chemical elements in feathers that can be mapped to specific geographic regions across the continent.
“We’ll be able to pair those results with our GPS data to produce a better understanding of the North American coverage and migratory range of this bird,” Perozeni said.
Bringing hunters, birders and landowners to the same table
Ultimately, this research will help identify priority areas for habitat protection and restoration while contributing to broader conservation efforts to reverse shorebird population declines.
Perozeni said the Wilson’s snipe — a bird most Americans only know as a punchline — may be uniquely positioned to unite groups around shared conservation goals.
“Thanks to their cultural presence and value as a game species, snipe offer a unique opportunity to bridge gaps between landowners, hunters and birders — bringing various stakeholders into the conversation about shorebird conservation,” he said.
Want to learn more about the birds in your backyard?
Birding with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension offers an array of birding programs ranging from beginner to expert that will expand your knowledge of the avian world.
