Bird: Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Height: 11"

Description: Stocky bird, easily identified by bold white stripes along dark back. Head is also dark with white stripes. Very long and straight dark bill. Eye prominent and dark with a thin white ring. Legs are short and dull yellow.

Voice: A sharp "scaip" when flushed. Also, a whinney during breeding displays. Audio is available at eNature.com.

Feeding: Pushes bill down into the soil to search for insects, insect larvae, small animals, and seeds. Rapidly vibrates head backward and forward occasionally while probing.

Behavior at Wakodahatchee: There are a few Snipe that feed in the dry weeds on the banks and the islands around the second gazebo. They can often be found very close to the boardwalk, and do not flush easily if observed. They are active early in the morning and late in the afternoon, and stay still around noon. When they are still, the dark patterns on their back camouflage them extremely well. The most frequently reported behavior of the Common Snipe is an aerial display during breeding in which the male flies up into the air, and then flaps his wings. The air streaming through his tail makes a whistling sound.

Click Here for more information on The Common Snipe from eNature.com

I have seen flocks of Common Snipe gathering on mud-flats at Loxahatchee in the evening, and, since they weren't feeding, they were probably roosting communally. During the day, at Wakodahatchee, they pick their way along the banks, feeding continuously, and rest at mid-day. I think snipe look like dowitchers, but they are easily distinguished by noting the bold white stripes on their heads and backs.