Thecommon snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a small, stockywader native to theOld World, where it breeds in marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows. It is usually shy and well-camouflaged, foraging in soft mud mainly for insects and earthworms but also some plant material. During courtship, males perform a "winnowing"display; flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a "drumming" sound by vibrating the tailfeathers.
The breeding habitats aremarshes,bogs,tundra andwet meadows throughout thePalearctic. In the north, the distribution limit extends from Iceland over the north of the British Isles and northernFennoscandia, where it occurs at around 70°N, as well as through European Russia and Siberia. Here it is mostly on the northern edge of the Taiga zone at 71°N, but reaches 74°N on the east coast of theTaymyr Peninsula. In the east it extends to Anadyr,[clarification needed] Kamchatka,Bering Island and theKuril Islands, The southern boundary of the distribution area in Europe runs throughnorthern Portugal, centralFrance,northern Italy,Bulgaria, andUkraine, with populations in the west being only very scattered. In Asia, the distribution extends south to northernTurkestan, locally toAfghanistan and the Middle East, through theAltai and further toManchuria andUssuri. It ismigratory, with European birds wintering in southern and western Europe andAfrica (south to the Equator), and Asian migrants moving to tropicalsouthern Asia.
Gallinago gallinago faeroeensis (Brehm, CL, 1831) – breeds in Iceland,Faroe Islands,Orkney andShetland Islands; non-breeding in British Isles
Gallinago gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus, 1758) –nominate subspecies; breeds in central, north Europe and Asia; non-breeding in west Europe, Africa, Indonesia and Japan
The North AmericanWilson's snipe was previously considered the same species, and is listed as such in older field guides.
Adults are 25–27 cm (9.8–10.6 in) in length with a 44–47 cm (17–19 in) wingspan and a weight of 80–140 g (2.8–4.9 oz) (up to 180 g (6.3 oz) pre-migration). They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long (5.5–7 cm (2.2–2.8 in)) straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown with straw-yellow stripes on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed.[6][7]
The common snipe is the most widespread of several similar snipes. It most closely resembles theWilson's snipe (G. delicata) of North America, which was until recently considered to be a subspecies –G. g. delicata – of the common snipe. They differ in the number of tail feathers, with seven pairs inG. gallinago and eight pairs inG. delicata; the North American species also has a slightly thinner white trailing edge to the wings (the white is mostly on the tips of the secondaries).[8][9] Both species breed in theAleutian Islands.[6] It is also very similar to thepin-tailed snipe (G. stenura) andSwinhoe's snipe (G. megala) of eastern Asia; identification of these species there is complex.[10]
The subspeciesfaeroeensis is normally more richly toned on the breast, its upperparts and the head than the nominategallinago.[11]
The common snipe is a well camouflaged bird, it is usually shy and conceals itself close to ground vegetation and flushes only when approached closely. When flushed, they utter a sharp note that sounds likescape, scape and fly off in a series of aerial zig-zags to confuse predators.[12] They forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and earthworms, also some plant material.[7]
The male performs "winnowing" display during courtship, flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a "drumming" sound by vibrating its tail feathers. This sound has been compared by others to the bleating of a sheep orgoat; hence in many languages the snipe is known by names signifying "flying goat", "heaven's ram", as in Scotland by "heather-bleater"[12] and inFinnish the nametaivaanvuohi, "sky goat".
Philip Manson-Bahr is credited with unravelling the mystery of how the snipe creates that unusual breathy sound which is unlike other birdsong.[when?] He worked out that the sound was created by placing out two tail feathers at 90 degrees to the direction of flight. When diving these feathers create this unusual sound. He demonstrated this in front of theBritish Ornithologists Union by inserting two snipe feathers into a cork which he then whirled around his head on a string.[13]
Wing shape does not differ between sedentary and migratory common snipe, suggesting that social selection influences wing shape given this species aerial displays during courtship.[14]
Common snipe nest in a well-hidden location on the ground, laying four eggs of a dark olive colour, blotched and spotted with rich brown,[12] which are incubated by the female for 18–21 days. The freshly hatched young are covered in dark maroon down, variegated with black, white and buff.[12] The young are cared for by both parents, each parent looking after half the brood, with fledging in 10–20 days.[6][7]
Overall, the species is not threatened. Populations on the southern fringes of the breeding range in Europe are however declining withlocal extinction in some areas (notably in parts of England and Germany), mainly due to field drainage and agricultural intensification.[6]
^Rodrigues, T. M.; Andrade, P.; Rodrigues, M.; Gonçalves, D. (2018). "Mixed patterns of morphological adaptation to insularity in an aerial displaying bird, the Common SnipeGallinago gallinago".Ibis.160 (4):870–881.doi:10.1111/ibi.12578.
^"Species". Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). Retrieved14 November 2021.
^Lockwood, W.B. (1984).The Oxford Book of British Bird Names. Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-214155-4.
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