Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus, 1758)

Adult Size and Weight

Adults of Gallinago gallinago, the common snipe, measure 25–27 cm (9.8–10.6 in) in length, have a wingspan of 44–47 cm (17–19 in), and weigh 80–140 g (2.8–4.9 oz), with weights reaching up to 180 g (6.3 oz) before migration.

Limb and Bill Morphology

They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long, straight dark bill that is 5.5–7 cm (2.2–2.8 in) long.

Body Plumage

Their body is mottled brown with straw-yellow stripes on the upperparts and pale plumage on the underparts.

Head and Wing Features

They have a dark stripe running through the eye, paired with light stripes both above and below this dark stripe, and their wings are pointed.

Relative Species Distribution

The common snipe is the most widespread species among several similar snipe species.

Taxonomy of Wilson's Snipe

It most closely resembles Wilson's snipe (Gallinago delicata) of North America, which was until recently classified as a subspecies of common snipe (G. g. delicata).

Tail Feather Difference from Wilson's Snipe

The two species differ in the number of tail feathers: common snipe has seven pairs of tail feathers, while Wilson's snipe has eight pairs.

Wing Trait Difference from Wilson's Snipe

The North American Wilson's snipe also has a slightly thinner white trailing edge on its wings, where the white is mostly found on the tips of the secondaries.

Overlapping Breeding Range with Wilson's Snipe

Both species breed in the Aleutian Islands.

Similar Eastern Asian Snipe Species

Common snipe is also very similar to the pin-tailed snipe (G. stenura) and Swinhoe's snipe (G. megala) found in eastern Asia, and identifying these species in this region is complex.

Subspecies Coloration Difference

The subspecies G. g. faeroeensis typically has richer coloration on its breast, upperparts, and head than the nominate subspecies G. g. gallinago.

Breeding Habitat Types

For distribution and habitat, the common snipe breeds in marshes, bogs, tundra, and wet meadows across the Palearctic.

Northern Breeding Range Boundary

The northern edge of its breeding distribution runs from Iceland across the northern British Isles and northern Fennoscandia, reaching around 70°N, and continues through European Russia and Siberia.

Taymyr Peninsula Breeding Range

In this area, it is mostly found on the northern edge of the Taiga zone at 71°N, but extends as far north as 74°N on the east coast of the Taymyr Peninsula.

Eastern Breeding Range Limit

To the east, its breeding range reaches Anadyr, Kamchatka, Bering Island, and the Kuril Islands.

European Southern Breeding Boundary

In Europe, the southern boundary of the breeding distribution runs through northern Portugal, central France, northern Italy, Bulgaria, and Ukraine, with populations scattered very sparsely in the western part of this region.

Asian Southern Breeding Range

In Asia, the breeding range extends south to northern Turkestan, and is found locally in Afghanistan and the Middle East, continuing through the Altai region and further to Manchuria and Ussuri.

Migratory Wintering Ranges

The common snipe is a migratory species: European individuals winter in southern and western Europe and Africa, as far south as the Equator, while Asian individuals migrate to tropical southern Asia to winter.