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Common snipe
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{{short description|Species of bird}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}} {{Speciesbox | image = Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) (26144727151).jpg | image_caption = [[File:Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) (W GALLINAGO GALLINAGO R3 C5).ogg|thumb|center|Calls recorded in [[Hampshire]], England]] | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref =<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2019 |title=''Gallinago gallinago'' |volume=2019 |page=e.T22693097A155504420 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22693097A155504420.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref> | taxon = Gallinago gallinago | authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]) | subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = ''G. g. faroeensis''<br /> ''G. g. gallinago'' | synonyms = *''Scolopax gallinago'' {{small|Linnaeus, 1758}} *''Capella gallinago'' {{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}} | range_map = GallinagoGallinagoIUCNver2019-2.png | range_map_caption = Range of ''G. gallinago''{{leftlegend|#00FF00|Breeding|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#008000|Resident|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#007FFF|Non-breeding|outline=gray}} }} The '''common snipe''' ('''''Gallinago gallinago''''') is a small, stocky [[wader]] native to the [[Old World]]. == Distribution and habitat == The breeding habitats are [[marsh]]es, [[bog]]s, [[tundra]] and [[wet meadow]]s throughout the [[Palearctic]]. In the north, the distribution limit extends from Iceland over the north of the British Isles and northern [[Fennoscandia]], where it occurs at around 70°N, as well as through European Russia and Siberia. Here it is mostly on the northern edge of the Taiga zone at 71°N, but reaches 74°N on the east coast of the [[Taymyr Peninsula]]. In the east it extends to Anadyr,{{clarify|date=February 2021|reason=Which Anadyr?}} Kamchatka, [[Bering Island]] and the [[Kuril Islands]], The southern boundary of the distribution area in Europe runs through [[North Region, Portugal|northern Portugal]], central [[France]], [[northern Italy]], [[Bulgaria]], and [[Ukraine]], with populations in the west being only very scattered. In Asia, the distribution extends south to northern [[Turkestan]], locally to [[Afghanistan]] and the Middle East, through the [[Altai Republic|Altai]] and further to [[Manchuria]] and [[Ussuri]]. It is [[bird migration|migratory]], with European birds wintering in southern and western Europe and [[Africa]] (south to the Equator), and Asian migrants moving to tropical [[South Asia|southern Asia]]. ==Taxonomy== The common snipe was [[Species description|formally described]] by the Swedish naturalist [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1758 in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]] of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' under the [[binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] ''Scolopax gallinago''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=147 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | location=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727054 }}</ref> The species is now placed with 17 other snipe in the [[genus]] ''Gallinago'' that was introduced by the French zoologist [[Mathurin Jacques Brisson]] in 1760.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés | volume=5 | language=fr, la | pages=298, 304 | place=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36294640 }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=July 2021 | title=Sandpipers, snipes, coursers | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/sandpipers/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=22 November 2021 }}</ref> The name ''gallinago'' is [[Neo-Latin]] for a [[woodcock]] or [[snipe]] from [[Latin]] ''gallina'', "hen" and the suffix ''-ago'', "resembling".<ref name=job>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997 | url-access= limited | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=[https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997/page/n170 170]}}</ref> Two [[subspecies]] are recognised:<ref name=ioc/> * ''G. g. faeroeensis'' (Brehm, CL, 1831) – breeds in Iceland, [[Faroe Islands]], [[Orkney]] and [[Shetland Islands]]; non-breeding in British Isles * ''G. g. gallinago'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – [[nominate subspecies]]; breeds in central, north Europe and Asia; non-breeding in west Europe, Africa, Indonesia and Japan The North American [[Wilson's snipe]] was previously considered the same species, and is listed as such in older field guides. ==Description== [[File:Gallinago gallinago MHNT.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Egg]] Adults are {{convert|25|–|27|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length with a {{convert|44|–|47|cm|in|abbr=on}} wingspan and a weight of {{convert|80|-|140|g|oz|abbr=on}} (up to {{convert|180|g|oz|abbr=on}} pre-migration). They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long ({{convert|5.5|–|7|cm|in|abbr=on}}) straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown with straw-yellow stripes on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed.<ref name=Hoyo/><ref name=Snow/> The common snipe is the most widespread of several similar snipes. It most closely resembles the [[Wilson's snipe]] (''G. delicata'') of North America, which was until recently considered to be a subspecies – ''G. g. delicata'' – of the common snipe. They differ in the number of tail feathers, with seven pairs in ''G. gallinago'' and eight pairs in ''G. delicata''; the North American species also has a slightly thinner white trailing edge to the wings (the white is mostly on the tips of the secondaries).<ref name=Leader/><ref name=Reid/> Both species breed in the [[Aleutian Islands]].<ref name=Hoyo/> It is also very similar to the [[pin-tailed snipe]] (''G. stenura'') and [[Swinhoe's snipe]] (''G. megala'') of eastern Asia; identification of these species there is complex.<ref name=Carey/> The subspecies ''faeroeensis'' is normally more richly toned on the breast, its upperparts and the head than the nominate ''gallinago''.<ref>Reid, Martin (2008) "Identification of Wilson's and Common Snipe", ''British Birds 101'', April, p. 190</ref> ==Behaviour== [[File:Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) at Bharatpur I IMG 5750.jpg|thumb|''G. g. gallinago'' at [[Keoladeo National Park]], [[Bharatpur, India|Bharatpur]], [[Rajasthan]], India.]] [[File:Bekassine.jpg|thumb|''G. g. gallinago'' at nature park [[S'Albufera]], on the island of Mallorca.]] The common snipe is a well camouflaged bird, it is usually shy and conceals itself close to ground vegetation and flushes only when approached closely. When flushed, they utter a sharp note that sounds like ''scape, scape'' and fly off in a series of aerial zig-zags to confuse predators.<ref name=eb1911/> They forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and earthworms, also some plant material.<ref name=Snow/> {{listen|filename=Gallinago gallinago.ogg|title=Common snipe|description=An example of the "drumming" sound.}} The male performs "winnowing" display during courtship, flying high in circles and then taking shallow dives to produce a "[[drumming (snipe)|drumming]]" sound by vibrating its tail feathers. This sound has been compared by others to the bleating of a sheep or [[goat]]; hence in many languages the snipe is known by names signifying "flying goat", "heaven's ram", as in Scotland by "heather-bleater"<ref name=eb1911/> and in [[Finnish language|Finnish]] the name ''taivaanvuohi'', "sky goat". [[Philip Manson-Bahr]] is credited with unravelling the mystery of how the snipe creates that unusual breathy sound which is unlike other birdsong.{{when?|date=November 2024}} He worked out that the sound was created by placing out two tail feathers at 90 degrees to the direction of flight. When diving these feathers create this unusual sound. He demonstrated this in front of the [[British Ornithologists Union]] by inserting two snipe feathers into a cork which he then whirled around his head on a string.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/apr/15/ridgehead-farm-staffordshire-snipe-lovesong|title=Unfolding the mysteries of a snipe's lovesong|last=Cocker|first=Mark|date=2012-04-15|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=2017-06-07|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Wing shape does not differ between sedentary and migratory common snipe, suggesting that social selection influences wing shape given this species aerial displays during courtship.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rodrigues, T. M. |author2=Andrade, P. |author3=Rodrigues, M. |author4=Gonçalves, D. |year=2018 |title=Mixed patterns of morphological adaptation to insularity in an aerial displaying bird, the Common Snipe ''Gallinago gallinago'' |journal=Ibis |volume=160 |pages=870–881 |doi=10.1111/ibi.12578 |issue=4}}</ref> ===Breeding=== Common snipe nest in a well-hidden location on the ground, laying four eggs of a dark olive colour, blotched and spotted with rich brown,<ref name=eb1911/> which are incubated by the female for 18–21 days. The freshly hatched young are covered in dark maroon down, variegated with black, white and buff.<ref name=eb1911/> The young are cared for by both parents, each parent looking after half the brood, with fledging in 10–20 days.<ref name=Hoyo/><ref name=Snow/> ==Conservation== [[File:CommonSnipe.jpg|thumb|Common Snipe at Chilika, Odisha]] Overall, the species is not threatened. Populations on the southern fringes of the breeding range in Europe are however declining with [[local extinction]] in some areas (notably in parts of England and Germany), mainly due to field drainage and agricultural intensification.<ref name=Hoyo/> The [[AEWA|Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)]] applies to the species.<ref>{{ cite web | title=Species| url=https://www.unep-aewa.org/en/species | publisher=Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) | access-date=14 November 2021}}</ref> It is still hunted as a [[gamebird]] in much of its range.<ref name=Hoyo/>{{Verify source|date=June 2024}} ==History== Old folk names include "mire snipe", "horse gowk", "heather bleat", and the variant spelling "snite".<ref name=Lockwood/> See [[snipe]] for other aspects of the name. ==References== <!-- BulletinOfTheBritishOrnithologistsClub101:339. FieldMusNatHistZoolSer18:343. Micronesica32:257,38:221. --> {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=Carey>{{cite journal |last1=Carey |first1=G. |last2=Olsson |first2=U. |year=1995 |title=Field Identification of Common, Wilson's, Pintail and Swinhoe's Snipes |journal=[[Birding World]] |volume=8 |issue=5 |pages=179–190}}</ref> <ref name=eb1911>{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Snipe}}</ref> <ref name=Hoyo>{{Cite book |editor-last1=del Hoyo |editor-first1=Josep |editor-last2=Elliott |editor-first2=Andrew |editor-last3=Sargatal |editor-first3=Jordi |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |volume=3: Hoatzin to Auks |publisher=Lynx Edicions |year=1996 |location=Barcelona |page=[https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/496 496] |isbn=84-87334-20-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/496 }}</ref> <ref name=Leader>{{cite journal |last=Leader |first=P. |year=1999 |title=Identification forum: Common Snipe and Wilson's Snipe |journal=[[Birding World]] |volume=12 |issue=9 |pages=371–374}}</ref> <ref name=Lockwood>{{cite book |last=Lockwood |first=W.B. |year=1984 |title=The Oxford Book of British Bird Names |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-214155-4}}</ref> <ref name=Reid>{{cite journal |last=Reid |first=M. |year=2008 |title=Identification of Wilson's and Common Snipe |journal=[[British Birds (magazine)|British Birds]] |volume=101 |issue=4 |pages=189–200}}</ref> <ref name=Snow>{{cite book |last1=Snow |first1=D.W. |last2=Perrins |first2=C.M. |year=1998 |title=The Birds of the Western Palearctic |edition=Concise |volume=1 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-854099-X|title-link=The Birds of the Western Palearctic}}</ref> }} ==External links== {{Commons category|Gallinago gallinago}} {{Wikispecies|Gallinago gallinago}} * {{InternetBirdCollection|common-snipe-gallinago-gallinago|Common snipe}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160909120743/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/193_CommonSnipeGgallinago.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF; 5.1 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze] * {{Avibase|name=Gallinago gallinago}} * [https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176700 ''Gallinago gallinago''] at [[ITIS|Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)]] * [https://www.europeana.eu/portal/search.html?query=gallinago+gallinago&rows=96 Items, photos and sounds related to ''Gallinago gallinago''] at [[Europeana|Europeana: Europe's digital library, museum and archive]] * {{BirdLife|22729860|Gallinago gallinago}} * {{VIREO|Common+snipe}} * {{IUCN_Map|22693097/166243239|Gallinago gallinago}} * {{Xeno-canto species|Gallinago|gallinago|Common snipe}} {{English Game}} {{Scolopacidae|2}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q25692}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Gallinago]] [[Category:Shorebirds]] [[Category:Birds of Eurasia]] [[Category:Wintering birds of Africa]] [[Category:Wintering birds of Indomalaya]] [[Category:Birds described in 1758]] [[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
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