Common snipe

Scientific name: Gallinago gallinago

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Cryptically patterned in browns, buffs, and blacks with a long straight bill. Bill comprises one-third of total body length; sexes similar in plumage but females average slightly larger.

Size and weight

Males 80–110 g, females 90–120 g; body length 25–27 cm.

Habitat

Marshes, wet meadows, and boggy ground with low vegetation and soft substrate near water. Typically found from sea level to 2,000 m elevation.

Distribution

Breeds across northern Eurasia from Britain to Japan; winters in temperate and tropical regions of Africa, southern Asia, and southern Europe. Highly migratory.

Diet

Primarily earthworms and insect larvae extracted from mud and soil; also takes small mollusks and plant matter, with diet shifting toward invertebrates in breeding season.

Behaviour

Crepuscular and nocturnal, most active at dawn and dusk. Solitary or in loose flocks outside breeding season; typically flushes in erratic zigzag flight when disturbed.

Hunting tips

Look for probing marks and shallow holes in soft mud where birds have fed; whitewash droppings along reed stems indicate roosting sites. Approach into wind across open bog to avoid alarming birds; use early morning or evening light. Listen for the distinctive harsh call when birds flush to locate others in the area.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 25 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.