Great Snipe

1 month ago door Mateo Vande Cappelle

Points: 80

Spotted

The Great Snipe is a plump, secretive wader, larger than its common counterpart, and known for its elaborate communal courtship display. It prefers wet meadows and bogs.

Where to spot

Breeds in wet meadows and bogs across Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and Western Siberia. Winters in sub-Saharan Africa.

How to spot

Look for a robust snipe with a relatively short bill compared to the Common Snipe. In flight, it shows more white in the tail corners and a broader white trailing edge on the secondaries. The key is to find their lekking sites to observe their courtship rituals.

When to spot

Best observed during the breeding season (late spring/early summer) at dawn or dusk on their lekking grounds. Otherwise, they are highly elusive and difficult to find during migration or winter.

Where to spot

Breeds in wet meadows and bogs across Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and Western Siberia. Winters in sub-Saharan Africa.

How to spot

When to spot

Best observed during the breeding season (late spring/early summer) at dawn or dusk on their lekking grounds. Otherwise, they are highly elusive and difficult to find during migration or winter.

Great Snipes perform a spectacular lekking display, where males gather in a small area to compete for mates through an array of visual displays, calls, and 'drumming' sounds made by their tail feathers.

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