Gallinago gallinago - Common Snipe
Feather characters. Barbules are from short until medium length (0.6-1.5 mm). Barbules are divided into pigmented nodes and partly pigmented (more than 50%) internodes. The amount of pigment decreases distally. Slightly thickened nodes (22-26 per mm) are equally distributed along the entire length of barbules, only slightly decreasing in size towards distal end. Nodes may be very small. Villi are absent and internodes are straight. Prongs are absent.
Field characters. Size 26 cm. Weight: male 128 g ( -156), female 116 g ( -156) (Dunning, 1993). A medium sized wader. Usually stays in cover and hard to see. Most important features are the very long straight bill, the wild zig-zag flight when flushed and the call. Mainly brown and russet with black lines; head with long black and buff lines and buff lines also prominent on dark back. Breast finely streaked, underparts white. Tail barred with rufous and black, with some white on the sides. Tips of the secondaries white, forming a small white bar in flight. Flocks during migration, favouring marshes, wet meadows etc., but is often only seen when flushed.
Voice. When flushed a hoarse 'rreet' or 'retjs'. During display flight in spring a persistent 'chikke-chikke-chikke' and lamb-like trilling 'whewhewhewhewhe', produced by the outer tail feathers of the male in diving flight. Often displaying at night.
Distribution. Common, but in many parts of its breeding range declining because of intensification of agriculture and drainage of its habitat. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Breeding habitat mainly wet grasslands and meadows. Outside breeding season found in a variety of marshy habitats, also saltmarshes, but cover is necessary.
Food. Invertebrates, like worms, insects and larvae. Also takes some vegetable matter.