Common Snipe - Photos by Bruce Dayton - Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

ORDER: Charadriiformes
FAMILY: Scolopacidae (Sandpipers - 47 Species)
SPECIES: Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Common Snipe
When danger is feared, the Common Snipe usually lie closely crouched on the ground trusting that their protective coloration will keep them from being discovered and do not flush until nearly trodden upon.
SIZE	Medium-sized (9-12”) stocky shorebird.
DESCRIPTION	They have short greenish legs and a long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. The females have longer bills and shorter tails.
NESTING	Clutch size ranges from 3-4 eggs, which are incubated in 18 to 20 days. Their nest is normally a shallow depression made up of grass, moss and leaves lined with fine plant material. It is usually well-concealed, built on the ground in a marsh or wet meadow with overhanging vegetation.
RANGE	They are common in most of North America. The North American population migrates to the southern United States and to northern South America.
HABITAT	They habitat primarily in marshes, bogs, wet meadows and other wet areas.
DIET	They forage in soft mud along pond edges, probing for insects, earthworms and plant material.

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The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit.




Common Snipe

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Seneca County, New York


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Wilson's Snipe Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes