Common Snipe

Overview

The common snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World that breeds in marshes, bogs, tundra, and wet meadows. It is a migratory species classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Length of 25–27 cm with a wingspan of 44–47 cm.
• Very long (5.5–7 cm), straight dark bill and short greenish-grey legs.
• Mottled brown upperparts with straw-yellow stripes, pale underparts, and a dark stripe through the eye.
• Utters a sharp note sounding like 'scape, scape' when flushed, flying in aerial zig-zags.

Habitat

Breeds in marshes, bogs, tundra, and wet meadows throughout the Palearctic, ranging from Iceland and northern Fennoscandia across Siberia to Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands. European birds winter in southern and western Europe and Africa, while Asian migrants move to tropical southern Asia.

Diet

Forages in soft mud by probing or picking up food by sight. The diet consists mainly of insects and earthworms, supplemented by some plant material.

Did you know?

Males perform a 'winnowing' display that produces a drumming sound often compared to the bleating of a sheep or goat, a phenomenon known as the 'flying goat' in many languages. This unique sound is created by vibrating two tail feathers placed at 90 degrees to the direction of flight during shallow dives.