Snipe

Snipe, common name for shorebirds of three genera of the sandpiper family. Snipes breed abundantly on all continents except Australia (where, however, one species winters). Snipes have long, slender bills, sensitive at the tip, which are used to probe for worms and grubs in swampy grasslands. They are highly regarded as game birds because of their twisting, erratic flight after they are flushed.

A typical species is the common snipe of Eurasia and North America, where it was long known as Wilson's snipe. It is mottled and striped with brown, black, and buff and is about 28 cm (about 11 in) in length. In courtship the male performs acrobatic revolutions in flight and drops suddenly from a height, producing a drumming beat as the air rushes past the quills in its tail.

Scientific classification: Snipes make up the genera Gallinago, Lymnocryptes, and Coenocorypha of the family Scolopacidae. The common snipe is classified as Gallinago gallinago.

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