Peatland wildlife

Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Description

For its size, the snipe has the longest bill of all the waders, which it uses for finding worms and small invertebrates. The tip is flexible and the snipe can open this part of its bill under the ground. The plumage is a mixture of dark brown with contrasting buff stripes which gives them excellent camouflage. Both sexes and juveniles are identical in colour. The smaller jack snipe is a winter visitor from northern Scandinavia.

Behaviour

During the winter, snipe are common in upland blanket bogs, lowland raised bogs, fens and wet meadows. They are very secretive and are not usually seen until they are alarmed, when they zig-zag away making harsh "scaap" calls.

Breeding

On early spring mornings the male performs his spectacular courtship display. He climbs up to several hundred feet and then dives with his tail fanned out. The outer tail feathers vibrate in the airstream and give out a bleating sound known as "drumming". This has given the snipe the local name of "Heather bleat".

The snipe usually hides its nest well in tussocks of grass or rushes, usually at the edge of drains. The female incubates the usual clutch of four greenish-brown eggs. The juveniles can fly at about 3 weeks.

Status

Local

Snipe appear to be declining in some areas, possibly as a result of the loss of suitable nesting habitat. Snipe are protected during the close season but may be hunted in Northern Ireland during the open season from 1 September to the 31 January. There are controls within the Wildlife Order on the types of gun and other methods that can be used to kill these birds. There are significant differences in the law in this area between Northern Ireland and the rest of Great Britain – for example, it is illegal to kill these birds on Sundays or at night in Northern Ireland.

European

The Snipe is listed in Annex II/1 of the Birds Directive, Appendix III of the Bern Convention and Appendix II of the Bonn Convention.