Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Color Photographs: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 10.5 inches. General coloration brown, with three distinct white to yellow-white stripes on the back. Head brown with a white crown, a light brown band over the eye, and a dull white band below the eye. Bill long, straight. Neck brown and breast white streaked with brown. Sides heavily barred with dark brown. Belly white. The tail is brown and has a rusty-brown band on it. Legs yellowish.

Similar Species:  The stripes on the back and the dark and light head should easily identify this species. Dowitchers look somewhat similar to first glance, but tend to feed in the open. In contrast, the Common Snipe usually spends most of its time hidden in grasses and reeds.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Common Snipe breeds throughout most of Canada and Alaska except for the tundra regions, extending southward through the northern United States and the montane regions of the wesern United States. The Common Snipe is also found in the Old World.

Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters throughout the western United States and southward to the south-central and southeastern parts of the country.

Habitat: The Common Snipe is usually found in marshes, swamps, fields, ponds.

Food: Insects, aquatic invertebrates, and some seeds.

Behavior: The Common Snipe has a rapid, zig-zag flight. The species tends to feed early in the day and in the later afternoon remaining hidden during most of the day. The courtship involves a complicated set or aerial manuvers during which the tail feathers make a whistling sound.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of black-spotted olive-brown eggs. The eggs are laid a ground depression, hidden in the grass hummock, and lined with grass. The voice is a loud sciap.