Common Snipe - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by IanF
Dormans Pool, Billingham, UK, 4 September 2003

Gallinago gallinago

Identification

• Brown back with creamy stripes
• Striped head with cream central stripe
• White belly
• Barred flanks
• Long bill

Similar Species

Ssp. gallinago
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Gurgaon, Haryana, India, 19 March 2015

Wilson's Snipe of North America differs in its courtship display flight, and the winnowing sounds made by its outer rectrices during courtship. It also differs slightly in plumage (Wilson's has reduced white on trailing edge of wing and underwing coverts) and has fewer and narrower rectrices3, 10.

Pintail Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe both have shorter tail, not projecting beyond the wings and have longer primary projection. See also the much smaller Jack Snipe.

Distribution

Breeds in northern Palearctic; winters in southern Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Taxonomy

Formerly included Wilson's Snipe (delicata), now recognized as a full species.

Subspecies

Photo © by Copout
Barton, Lincolnshire, 3 February 2009

There are 2 subspecies¹:

• G. g. faeroeensis - breeds in Iceland, Faroe Islands, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands; winters to British Isles
• G. g. gallinago - protected by AEWA²; breeds in N Palearctic and Aleutian Islands; winters to Africa, India, Indonesia

Habitat

They breed in marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows.

Behaviour

The cryptic plumage makes them difficult to see amongst the vegetation. When disturbed, they fly off in a series of zig-zags.

Breeding

The nest is well concealed on the ground.

Diet

Diet includes insects, earthworms, small crustaceans, small gastropods and spiders.

Winnowing display flight
Photo © by Robert L Jarvis
Teesdale, Yorkshire, 11 April 2010

Movements

Mostly migratory, wintering south to northern tropics; some populations sedentary or partially migratory,

Vocalisation

The song has been described as "Chip..per Chip..per."
Breeding display produces a drumming sound

Reference

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds.
3. Thread describing the differences between this species and Wilson's Snipe.
4. Wikipedia contributors. (2019, March 10). Common snipe. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:05, May 16, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_snipe&oldid=887102985
5. Chandler, R. (2009). Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia: A photographic guide. Princeton.
6. Howell, S.N.G., Lewington, I. & Russell, W. (2014) Rare Birds of North America. Princeton Univ. Press
7. Mccleese, C. 2018. "Gallinago gallinago" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 19, 2019 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Gallinago_gallinago/
8. Rasmussen, P.C. & Anderton, J.C. (2005) Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Vols. 1 and 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions, Washington, D.C. & Barcelona.
9. Van Gils, J., Wiersma, P., Kirwan, G.M. & Sharpe, C.J. (2019). Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53878 on 19 April 2019).
10. Blog discussing difference common-snipe-vs-wilsons-snipe

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Common Snipe. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Common_Snipe

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