Bird Album
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus, 1758)
25–27 cmLength52 cmWingspan113 gWeight
This small wader has a long, straight bill and mottled rufous plumage, and flies off in a zigzag when flushed.
Busiest months: September–October · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, China
Looks like Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe
How to identify
Field marks
- Bill long, straight and dark
- Body mottled rufous with straw-yellow markings
- Dark eyestripe with pale stripes above and below
- Legs and feet short and gray-green; wings pointed
Voice
Gives a sharp call when flushed, sounding like “scape, scape”.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Common Snipe has been recorded at 2,564 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 127 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)3,662 records
- KaldbakstjarnirIceland3,507 records
- Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom3,470 records
More places
- Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom3,121 records
- Txingudi – PlaiaundiSpain2,873 records
- Private estate near Green MubazzarahUnited Arab Emirates2,636 records
- Beddington FarmlandsUnited Kingdom2,383 records
- Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom2,261 records
- Brent ReservoirUnited Kingdom2,198 records
- Frampton Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom2,190 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The common snipe (Gallinago gallinago, formerly also known as Gallinago cælestis) is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World, where it breeds in marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows. It is usually shy and well-camouflaged, foraging in soft mud mainly for insects and earthworms but also some plant material. During courtship, males perform a "winnowing" display; flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a "drumming" sound by vibrating the tail feathers.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Common Snipe?
The Common Snipe is about 25–27 cm long, with a wingspan of 52 cm and weighs around 113 g.
Where does the Common Snipe live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: widespread low Arctic to temperate wetlands of Palearctic: Iceland to British Isles, Scandinavia, France and Azores (northern Macaronesia, northwest of northern Africa) east through northern Russia to central Chukotskiy Peninsula, Kamchatka, Sea of Okhotsk and Commander Islands (southeastern Russia); in south to northern Kazakhstan, eastern Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, Kashmir (northwestern Himalayas), northern Mongolia and northeastern China. It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Spain and China.
When is the best time to see the Common Snipe?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September and October (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Common Snipe endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Snipe as Least Concern.
What does the Common Snipe eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Common Snipe in?
It belongs to the family Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 25–27 cm
- Wingspan
- 52 cm
- Weight
- 113 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 128 mm
- Tail
- 54 mm
- Bill
- 70 mm
- Tarsus
- 30 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: widespread low Arctic to temperate wetlands of Palearctic: Iceland to British Isles, Scandinavia, France and Azores (northern Macaronesia, northwest of northern Africa) east through northern Russia to central Chukotskiy Peninsula, Kamchatka, Sea of Okhotsk and Commander Islands (southeastern Russia); in south to northern Kazakhstan, eastern Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, Kashmir (northwestern Himalayas), northern Mongolia and northeastern China
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Sandpipers, Snipes Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Gallinago
Other birds in the genus Gallinago
Imperial SnipeGallinago imperialis
Jameson's SnipeGallinago jamesoni
Fuegian SnipeGallinago stricklandii
Solitary SnipeGallinago solitaria
Wood SnipeGallinago nemoricola
Great SnipeGallinago media
Swinhoe's SnipeGallinago megala
Pin-tailed SnipeGallinago stenura
Latham's SnipeGallinago hardwickii
African SnipeGallinago nigripennis
Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
Giant SnipeGallinago undulata
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by TRinaud. ↗
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