photo by NEBRASKAland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Gallinago gallinago
L 10 1/2″ (27 cm).

Song or calls:
Listen (NGPC audio)

Harsh “skipe” call given when flushed. On breeding grounds gives “wheet-wheet” notes.

Description: Sexes similar. A stocky bird with short legs and a long yellowish bill. Strongly striped head pattern. Mottled brown above; white below with barring on flanks and vertical streaking on throat and breast. Rusty tail. Distinctive rapid zigzagging flight when flushed.

Habitat: Marshes and other wetlands with areas of mudflats or mucky soil. Shoreline and emergent vegetation is preferred over more open areas.

Where in Nebraska: Common spring and fall migrant, and rare summer resident. Regular breeder in wet meadows in northern 2/3rds of the state. Overwinters in small numbers in unfrozen seep springs, especially in eastern Sandhills.

Field Notes: Usually only seen in flight or when flushed.

Fun Facts: The long bill of the Common Snipe is flexible, with sensory pits at the tip of the bill to be able to feel its prey in the mud.

 
(click image for larger view)