Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago
Morphology 3
The Common Snipe is a small to medium sized wading bird. Shorter legs and neck distinguish it from other waders. It is generally 26.7cm/10.5in long, with a long, straight, slender bill about 6.4cm/2.5in long.In flight the Snipe displays the long pointed wings characteristic of wading birds. The female typically weighs about 115g. The male snipe is larger, generally weighing about 130g. The adult snipe has a brown body that is striped with black. There is black stripes across the eyes, which are set back on the head, away from the bill. The adult has a black bill, and legs that are olive in color. The female of the species is similar in coloration to the male. The down of the juvenile snipe is marbled brown and black, which provides excellent camouflage. This down is striped with black and speckled with white. The legs of the young bird are grayish, and the bill is black (Burton and Burton, 1970; Peterson, 1961; "Birds of the Great Lakes," on-line).
Habitat 4
The Common Snipe can be found in open areas with enough low vegetation to provide cover. These areas include marshes, canals, stream banks, bogs, and wet meadows, and even Arctic tundra. Nests are generally a grass-lined hollows in wet meadows, or marsh (Burton and Burton, 1970; Peterson, 1961).
Food habits 5
The Common Snipe consumes mostly worms. However, it also feeds on insects, crustaceans, and mollusks, as well as occasional seeds and berries. The snipe feeds in the muddy shallows at the edge of lakes, streams, and ponds, or in swamp mud. The bill of the Common Snipe is specially adapted for the type of food it consumes and the habitat in which it lives. It is able to open the tip of its bill while the entire bill is underground. This unique adaption allows the bird to eat small animals without having to pull its bill out of the mud (Burton and Burton, 1970; Peterson, 1961).
Reproduction 6
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.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Agustín Povedano, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/decadiz/6921121739/
- (c) Alpsdake, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Gallinago_gallinago_eating.JPG
- Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25064928
- Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31395589
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25064931
- Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) Copyright Ecomare, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22758953
More Info
iNaturalist.ca Map
| Animal | Bird |
|---|---|
| Color | brown, grey, white |
| Bird | waders |
