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Snipe common name for shorebirds of three genera of the sandpiper
family. Snipes breed abundantly on all continents except Australia (where,
however, one species winters). Snipes have long, slender bills, sensitive at the
tip, which are used to probe for worms and grubs in swampy grasslands. They are
highly regarded as game birds because of their twisting, erratic flight after
they are flushed.
A typical species is the common snipe of Eurasia
and North America, where it was long known as Wilson's snipe. It is mottled and
striped with brown, black, and buff and is about 28 cm (about 11 in) in length.
In courtship the male performs acrobatic revolutions in flight and drops
suddenly from a height, producing a drumming beat as the air rushes past the
quills in its tail
Identification
Tips:
- Length:
9 inches
- Stocky,
short-legged, pointed-winged shorebird
- Explosive
takeoff when flushed, rapid zigzag flight
- Very
long, straight bill
- Legs
olive
- Head
patterned with alternating dark and pale stripes
- Pale
breast with darker spots and bars
- Strongly
patterned back with several buffy, longitudinal stripes
- Rusty
brown rump and tail visible in flight
- White
belly, dark bars on flanks
- Upperwings
dark, secondaries with white tips
- Found
primarily in marshes and wet fields
- Sexes
similar
- Juvenile
similar to adult
In
spring, snipe perform spectacular displays high in the sky. Each male, following
a circular route, makes a series of power dives during which the outermost
tail-feathers are held out almost at right-angles to the bird's body. Feather
vibration produces the remarkable throbbing known as 'drumming'.
Drumming
takes place throughout the breeding season —can be enjoyed on moonlit nights.
Once
a female snipe is attracted, the male pursues her and dives with wings held
above the body in a V-shape often rolling and turning upside-down. The male
takes no part in incubation, continuing drumming displays over the nesting
territory. He feeds mostly at night, spending much of the day resting in cover.
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