Capella media(Latham, 1787) Gallinago major Scolopax mediaLatham, 1787
Thegreat snipe (Gallinago media) is a small stockywader in thegenusGallinago. This bird's breeding habitat is marshes andwet meadows with short vegetation in north-easternEurope, including north-westernRussia. Great snipes aremigratory, wintering inAfrica. The European breeding population is in steep decline.
The great snipe was described by the English naturalistJohn Latham in 1787 with thebinomial nameScolopax media.[2][3][4] The name of the current genusGallinago isNeo-Latin for awoodcock orsnipe fromLatingallina, "hen" and the suffix-ago, "resembling". The specificmedia is Latin for "intermediate", because this species is intermediate in size between thewoodcock and thecommon snipe.[5]
At 26–30 cm (10–12 in) in length and a 42–50 cm (17–20 in) wingspan, adults are only slightly larger, but much bulkier, than thecommon snipe and have a shorter bill. The body is mottled brown on top and barred underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye. The wings are broad, and a pale wingbar is visible in flight.
The voice is described as a faintyeah. Mating display calls of groups can be heard at long distances (more than 300 m (330 yd)) and sound like a mixture of firecracker wind-up xylophone sounds.
The birds are noted for their fast, non-stop flying capabilities over huge distances.[6] They can fly up to 97 km/h (60 mph), with researchers finding little evidence of wind assistance. Some have been recorded to fly non-stop for 84 hours over 6,760 km (4,200 mi) at altitudes up to 8700 metres.[7] Their wings are not especially aerodynamic, lacking pointed tips, and they typically do not stop to feed despite having opportunities. The birds instead rely on stores of fat.[6]
At dusk during the breeding season, the males display at alek (arena), standing erect with chest puffed and tail fanned out. They may jump into the air, and will produce a variety of rattles, clicks, buzzes and whistles while displaying. Three to four eggs are laid in a well-hidden nest on the ground.
These birds forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eatinsects andearthworms, and occasional plant material. They are difficult to see, being well camouflaged in their habitat. When flushed from cover, they fly straight for a considerable distance before dropping back into vegetation.
In their seasonalmigrations betweenSweden andsub-Saharan Africa, great snipes make non-stop flights of 4,000–7,000 km, lasting 60–90 h. During these flights, great snipes repeatedly changed altitudes around dawn and dusk, between average cruising heights about 2,000 m (above sea level) at night and around 4,000 m during daytime. Most birds regularly flew at 6,000 m and one bird reached 8,700 m, possibly the highest altitude ever recorded for a migrating bird.[8]
Fossils of the great snipe have been uncovered inNorth Carolina, dating back to about 4.465 Ma ±0.865M. This suggests that the bird must have at some point relocated across theAtlantic Ocean.[9]
In 2012, there were estimated to be between 15,000 and 40,000 great snipe in Scandinavia and between 450,000 and 1,000,000 in western Siberia and northeastern Europe. The species is experiencing a population decline, owing primarily to habitat loss, as well as to hunting in eastern Europe and in its African wintering range. The species is classified by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature as "Near Threatened".[1] The great snipe is one of the species to which theAgreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.[10]
^"Agreement Text and Annexes"(PDF). Agreement on the Conservation of African - Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). November 2015. Retrieved25 June 2016.
Løfaldli, L.; Kålås, J.A.; Fiske, P. (1992). "Habitat selection and diet of Great SnipeGallinago media during breeding".Ibis.134 (1):35–43.doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1992.tb07227.x.
