Tuesday Tweet - the Common Snipe

Common Snipe or Wilson's snipe (Capella gallinago), also called jacksnipe, is a game bird of marshes & meadows. It has an unusual courtship dance, circling and diving in the air. Although called a Common Snipe their Conservation status is actually Amber.

Photos by @chinesenature66, @wallmika @runosfoto from #pexels

Description:
Snipes are medium sized, skulking wading birds with short legs & long, straight black brown bills. Both sexes are mottled brown above, with paler buff stripes on the back, dark streaks on the chest & pale under parts. In winter, birds from northern Europe join resident birds. Breeding birds are more conspicuous, perching on fence posts.

They are widespread as a breeding species in the UK, with particularly high densities on northern uplands but lower numbers in southern lowlands (especially south west England). In winter, birds from northern Europe join resident birds. The UK population of Snipe has undergone moderate declines overall in the past twenty-five years, with particularly steep declines in lowland wet grassland, making it an Amber List species.

In display flight, birds stoop from high overhead and produce a pulsating, bleating sound from air passing through their fanned tail. Snipe is the common name for a shore bird of the family Scolopacidae (sandpiper family)

Speed: can fly at a speed range of around 55 mph (88.5 kph).

Source: Merlin Bird ID app & https://kidadl.com/ & Snipe Bird Facts | Gallinago Gallinago