Common snipe
| Common snipe | |
|---|---|
| Nominate G. g. gallinago in Dümmer, Germany | |
| Calls recorded in Hampshire, England | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Scolopacidae |
| Genus: | Gallinago |
| Species: | G. gallinago
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gallinago gallinago | |
| Subspecies | |
|
Gallinago gallinago faroeensis | |
| Range of G. gallinago Breeding Resident Non-breeding
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
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.