Common+Snipe

**These Guys **

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Common snipes (Gallinago gallinago) are interesting birds, specifically the males. Why? When the males display courtship during the mating season to a female, they have a unique ability to make a “winnowing” sound. The common snipe has two specialized tail feathers that when are vibrating to the beat of its wings, produce a mysterious sound while in a dive, thus referred to as winnowing, or steady drumming simulating a “coo-cooing” noise. Other than this, the common snipe also has distinct physical features, a unique way of raising their young, and a humorous historic story behind them told by experienced campers. =====

** Description of the Male **

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Atop from their unique ability to display this remarkable sound, the male common snipe (along with the females) have other physical features that distinguish these birds from the many other birds in this world. As mentioned before, males have two specially modified tail feathers that are used during the mating season. This sound can be used as a territorial threat, or even a way to impress the female during courtship. Males are generally larger than the females, typically outweighing them by about 15 grams. In other words, they’re about 4.58 ounces or 130 grams. Wingtip to wingtip, a male’s wingspan is 45 centimeters, 17.7 inches. From beak to tail, a male snipe is usually 32 centimeters, or 12.6 inches long. Both male and female common snipes have a long, slender beak that helps them feed on insects burrowed deep into the ground that is about 6.4 centimeters, or 2.5 inches long. When fully grown into adulthood, their body is colored brown with a white underside, these features tremendously helping the camouflaging of this bird. Along the back side of the head and eyes, but away from the bill, are black stripes. The bill of this bird is black while their long legs have an olive color to them. These are the physical features of the male common snipe. =====

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** Description of the Female **

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Females are usually quite similar to the male species of these birds, although they are for the most part smaller than males. Weighing 115 grams, which is 4.05 ounces, is one way a female common snipe is generally smaller than the male of this species. They have a wingspan of 39 centimeters, equally being 15.4 inches long. From head to tail, a female can be 27 centimeters, or 10.6 inches long. Their beaks are frequently the same length as a male’s beak, being about 6.4 centimeters (2.5 inches) long. Also, when a female is fully grown, their feather coloration has no significant difference than that of the male species. Unlike the male species, females don’t have the specially modified tail feathers that produce that mysterious sound of winnowing. =====

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For their habitat, these birds can’t stray too far from the designed areas for their way of living. They are most often found in areas such as brackish and fresh marshlands, grassy cover, rich moist soils, and edges of lakes, rivers, and swamps where they can easily hide if they needed to. These are areas that are commonly open areas that are low enough for them to conceal and camouflage in vegetation. Grass-lined hollows in wet meadows or marsh usually make up for their nests. =====



** Locations **

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There are many places that these birds can be found throughout, such as North America, Eurasia, South America, and Africa. Only during certain seasons are they found in these areas. During the summer season in South Africa, that’s when the common snipe can be sited frequently in North America. At this time, they can be found in Alaska after their migration from the southern areas of the world. But during the winter season of North America, they migrate their way back down to the hotter, southernmost areas throughout the world. ===== = =

** Breeding ** Breeding can be quite interesting from the common snipe. As soon as females lay eggs, both the male and female part ways after equally dividing the eggs amongst each other and then raise the young birds until they are able to care for themselves, all the while having no further interactions. Almost always the clutch size is 4 eggs, but sometimes can have 5-7 eggs. Within 18 to 20 days, the chicks hatch and 19 to 20 dys after hatching, the chicks begin to fledge. Breeding happens between the ends of April and May. After they hatch, the common snipe has a typical life expectancy of 3-9 years, making them have a short lived life.



Because of their long, sleek beak, common snipe’s beaks are designed to burrow deep enough in the ground to find their source of food. Their diet consists of earthworms, cutworms, wireworms, leaches, grasshoppers, locusts, beetles, mosquitoes, and some other insects and their larvae. They also feed on some seeds of marsh plants and the tender roots to other plants or vegetables. Although they eat a variety of insects, common snipe’s standard source of food appears to be earthworms. When this bird feeds, they use their beak as a useful kind of tool to help them gather their daily meals. Their entire beak is thrust into the soft wet ground when using their natural tool to find their food.
 * Diet **



** Their Story **

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There’s only one known myth about the common snipe, although it more so a mere hoax than a myth and is commonly referred to as "snipe hunting". This “myth” is more so identified as a practical joke for others entertainment. It is typically a story told to newcomers by experienced campers about an impossible task involving hunting down and catching the snipe. The inexperienced campers are told the story about the bird called the snipe (the common snipe) while at the same time giving a usually ludicrous way of finding the so called snipe. Finding the snipe involves running around the woods, making strange noises, carrying a bag to capture the bird in, or clashing two rocks together to “draw” the attention of the snipe. After being humiliated by the experienced campers, the hunter realizes that there is no possible way of finding the so called snipe, thus ending the practical joke. =====

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