Common Snipe
The Common Snipe is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. It is the most widespread of several similar snipe species. It most closely resembles the Wilson's Snipe of north America which was previously considered to be a sub-species of the Common Snipe. It is also very similar to the Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe of east Asia. A sub-species of Common Snipe can be found in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Shetland and Orkney. This sub-species winters in the UK and Ireland.
The Common Snipe is 9.8 to 10.6 inches in length with a 17 to 19 inches wingspan. The body is mottled brown with straw-yellow stripes on top and pale underneath. It has a dark stripe through the eye with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed. It has short greenish-grey legs and a very long (2.2 to 2.8 inches) straight dark bill.
The Common Snipe can be found in the marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout north Europe and north Asia. It is migratory with European birds wintering in south and west Europe and Africa (south to the Equator) and Asian birds wintering in tropical south Asia.
The male Common Snipe performs a "winnowing" display during courtship, flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a "drumming" sound by vibrating its tail feathers. The nest is located in a well hidden location on the ground. The female lays 4 eggs which are incubated for 18 to 21 days. The young are covered in dark maroon down, variegated with black, white and buff and are cared for by both parents with fledging occurring in 10 to 20 days.
The Common Snipe is a well camouflaged bird and it is usually shy and conceals itself close to ground vegetation and flushes only when approached closely. When flushed, it utters a sharp call and flies off in a series of aerial zig-zags to confuse predators.
The Common Snipe forages in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight. It mainly eats insects and earthworms but also some plant material.
Overall, the Common Snipe is not a threatened species although populations on the southern fringes of the breeding range in Europe are declining with local extinction in some areas (including in the UK) mainly due to field drainage and agricultural intensification. The Common Snipe is a species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Date: 10th January 2019
Location: RSPB Greylake, Somerset
The Common Snipe is 9.8 to 10.6 inches in length with a 17 to 19 inches wingspan. The body is mottled brown with straw-yellow stripes on top and pale underneath. It has a dark stripe through the eye with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed. It has short greenish-grey legs and a very long (2.2 to 2.8 inches) straight dark bill.
The Common Snipe can be found in the marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout north Europe and north Asia. It is migratory with European birds wintering in south and west Europe and Africa (south to the Equator) and Asian birds wintering in tropical south Asia.
The male Common Snipe performs a "winnowing" display during courtship, flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a "drumming" sound by vibrating its tail feathers. The nest is located in a well hidden location on the ground. The female lays 4 eggs which are incubated for 18 to 21 days. The young are covered in dark maroon down, variegated with black, white and buff and are cared for by both parents with fledging occurring in 10 to 20 days.
The Common Snipe is a well camouflaged bird and it is usually shy and conceals itself close to ground vegetation and flushes only when approached closely. When flushed, it utters a sharp call and flies off in a series of aerial zig-zags to confuse predators.
The Common Snipe forages in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight. It mainly eats insects and earthworms but also some plant material.
Overall, the Common Snipe is not a threatened species although populations on the southern fringes of the breeding range in Europe are declining with local extinction in some areas (including in the UK) mainly due to field drainage and agricultural intensification. The Common Snipe is a species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Date: 10th January 2019
Location: RSPB Greylake, Somerset
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Also in: Snipes and woodcocks
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