Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) (Linnaeus, 1758)

 

Gallinago gallinago occurs throughout the Palearctic from Iceland and Scandinavia to northeastern Siberia, Kamchatka, and the Kuril Islands; south to Hungary, northern Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kashmir, and northeastern China (Map). Some West European populations are sedentary (e.g. British and Faroe Is.); others winter in the Mediterranean, Africa, and subtropical and tropical Asia. Departs the breeding grounds in July-September, and returns in March-May. Small to medium-sized snipe (length 25-27 cm, weight 75-180 g) with long straight bill (5.5-7 cm). The upperparts and breast are mainly brown, mottled; pale underparts. A tan superciliary and dark eye stripe. Short greenish legs, and pointed wings. G. gallinago nests in wet meadows, bogs, tundra, grassy swamps, and wet hayfields; up to 2,800 m in the Himalayas. The nest is a scrape lined with plant material, and usually well hidden in grasses or sedges. Laying April through June; 4 eggs; incubation 17–21 days; the young are precocial. Common Snipe feeds on insects, earthworms, and other invertebrates. Global population likely exceeds 10,000,000 birds.

 

		905 Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago), female Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve Russia Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
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