Common Snipe
| Class: Aves: Birds |
Diet: Principally
larvae, also insects, crustaceans |
| Order:
Charadriiformes: Auks, Waders, Laris |
| Size: 25.5
cm (10 in) |
| Family: Scolopacidae:
Sandpipers |
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened |
| Scientific Name:
Gallinago gallinago |
Habitat: marshes,
wet meadows, moors |
| Range:
Breeds in Canada, Northern USA, Europe to Northeast Asia; winters in Central
and South America, Africa, India, Indonesia |
 A
shy, secretive bird, the common snipe has rather pointed wings, a long
bill and striped and barred plumage, which provides effective camouflage
among vegetation. Insects, particularly fly and beetle larvae, are the
snipe's most important food items, but it also eats earthworms, small crustaceans,
snails and small quantities of plant material. Males arrive at breeding
grounds before females and establish territories for display. In the most
common display, the male dives through the air at great speed, causing
a drumming sound as air rushes through his outer tail feathers. The nest
is made on dry ground when possible and near clumps of grass, which the
birds pull down over it. The 3 or 4 eggs are incubated for 17 to 19 days,
usually by the female alone.
  
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