The common snipe is a medium-sized wading bird with a long, straight, pointed black bill. It is 9.8–10.6 inches (25-27 cm) in length with a wingspan of 17-19 inches (44-47 cm).
It has a brown body with black bars, a striped head and back, and a white belly. The common snipe’s legs are shorter than most wading birds’ legs.
The long, pointed bill of the common snipe helps it to probe in the mud for snails, small crustaceans, insects, larvae, and earthworms. It also eats some plant matter.
The male common snipe arrives at the breeding ground first and stakes out a territory. To attract a mate, he flies and dives in the air and makes a loud drumming noise as air passes through his tail feathers.
The female lays four eggs in a grass-lined depression in a grass tussock. The chicks hatch after 18-20 days and fledge when they are 19-20 days old.
The common snipe has a lifespan of around 3 years in the wild, although the oldest common snipe on record lived to be 18.2 years old.
The common snipe usually stays hidden in the grass, but if it is startled, it bursts out from its cover and flies in a zig-zag pattern to evade predators.
Support for NatureWorks Redesign is provided by:
The common snipe is found in New Hampshire.
The common snipe breeds from Alaska to Newfoundland, south to the mid-United States.
It winters north from northern South America to British Columbia, the northern Gulf states, and Virginia.
It is also found in Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia.
NHPBS inspires one million Granite Staters each month with engaging and trusted local and national programs on-air, online, in classrooms and in communities.
