Difference between revisions of "Common Snipe" - BirdForum Opus

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

Gallinago gallinago

Identification

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

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

Similar Species

Photo by Copout
Barton, Lincolnshire, February 2009

Wilson's Snipe³. The much smaller Jack Snipe.

Distribution

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

Taxonomy

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

Subspecies

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

'Drumming'
Photo by Robert L Jarvis
Teesdale, Yorkshire, April 2010

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.

Vocalisation

The song has been described as "Chip..per Chip..per."
Breeding display produces a drumming sound <flashmp3>Gallinago gallinago (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program

Reference

Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds.
A thread describing the differences between this species and Wilson's Snipe is found [here]
Wikipedia
Nation master

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Common Snipe. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Common_Snipe

External Links

Search for photos of Common Snipe in the gallery

Search for videos of Common Snipe on BirdForum TV

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 *Barred flanks
 *Long bill
+[[Image:common_snipe_alok.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Ssp. ''gallinago''<br />Photo by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br />Gurgaon, Haryana, [[India]], March-2015]]
 ====Similar Species====
 [[Image:Snipe29.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|Copout|Copout}}<br />Barton, [[Lincolnshire]], February 2009]]