A little-known snipe that breeds in Himalayan alpine regions. A study in an alpine meadow in Sichuan, China, found breeding birds foraging where soil fauna were more abundant.
It has a long bill and intricate black, brown and white plumage. Strong creamy-white back markings stand out both at rest and in flight.
In a 2021 study of one alpine meadow in Sichuan, breeding birds foraged at sites with more soil fauna and were more often found where soil moisture was intermediate.
It breeds in alpine meadows; some birds winter at lower elevations in South and Southeast Asia.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.