Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimus
A small snipe, with stripy and cryptic plumage. Similar in appearance to Common Snipe, but note shorter bill, dark crown without pale stripe down middle, and wide golden stripes or "braces" down the back. Found in fresh and brackish marshes, but rarely seen unless flushed, when usually flies up silently from almost underfoot and drops back down not too far away. Single birds feed quietly by probing in mud, usually near cover; walks with distinctive, near-constant bobbing motion.
Identification
Adults are smaller than common snipe and have relatively shorter bill. Length is 18–25 cm (7.1–9.8 in), wingspan is 30–41 cm (12–16 in) and weight is 33–73 g (1.2–2.6 oz). The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye. The wings are pointed and narrow, and yellow back stripes are visible in flight. When seen, the distinctive bobbing movement, as if the bird is on springs, has an almost hypnotic quality.[citation needed]<p>The head pattern of jack snipe differs from common snipe and other species in the genus Gallinago, in that there is no central crown-stripe; instead, there are two pale lateral crown-stripes, which are separated from the supercilium by an area of dark plumage.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Lymnocryptes minimus
- Authority
- (Brünnich, 1764)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Lymnocryptes
Range and habitat
Jack snipes are migratory, spending the non-breeding period in Great Britain, Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal Europe, Africa, and India. The jack snipe is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Their breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows with short vegetation in northern Europe and northern Russia.
- Breeding range
- PAL : subarctic to temperate taiga wetlands of n Palearctic: Scandinavia and ne Poland to e Sakha Republic (ec Siberia)
- Non-breeding range
- OR, AF : temperate to tropical inland wetlands of w, c Eastern Hemisphere mainly n of Equator: Faroe and British Is., w, s Europe, Mediterranean, n, c tropical Africa, Middle East and Indian subcontinent
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Jack snipe can be secretive in their non-breeding areas and are difficult to observe, being well camouflaged in their habitat. Consequently, birdwatchers have developed a specialised technique for finding them. This involves walking through its marshy habitat until a bird is disturbed and flies up. Jack snipe will squat down and not flush from cover until an intruder is quite close. They then quietly fly a short distance before dropping back into vegetation.<p>They forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and earthworms, also plant material.<p>The male performs an aerial display during courtship, during which it makes a distinctive sound like a galloping horse. It is silent in winter. They nest in a well-hidden location on the ground, laying 3–4 eggs.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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