Common Snipe (GTM Research Reserve Bird Guide)

Common Snipe

Gallinago gallinago

Summary ⁷

The Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. The breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout northern Europe and northern Asia. It is migratory, with European birds wintering in southern and western Europe and Africa (south to the Equator), and Asian migrants moving to tropical southern Asia. The North American Wilson's Snipe was previously considered the same species, and is listed as such in older field...

Taxon biology ⁸

Common snipe like water and mud. With their long bills, they dig in the ground for worms and small crustaceans. In order to attract a female, male snipes must do their very best. They will fly more than a hundred meters upwards, after which they let themselves practically fall out of the sky. Common snipe are also called fantail snipe. This name comes from the way they spread their tail feathers when 'falling out of the sky'. A distinctive tweeting sound, called drumming, is made by the wind whistling through this fantail. The ladies on the ground find this very attractive. Snipe nests consist of a small hollow in the ground, filled with marram grass and leaves. Both males and females care for the chicks, although each have their own group.