The great snipe is a small stocky wader in the genus Gallinago. This bird's breeding habitat is marshes and wet meadows with short vegetation in north-eastern Europe, including north-western Russia. Great snipes are migratory, wintering in Africa. The European breeding population is in steep decline.
Region
Northeastern Europe to sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Breeds in marshes, wet meadows, fens, and damp pastures with short to medium vegetation across northeastern Europe and northwestern Russia. Prefers soft, waterlogged soils for probing. During migration and winter, it uses floodplains, moist savannas, dambos, irrigated fields, and the edges of wetlands. It roosts in dense grass or sedge cover and feeds in open, muddy patches and short swards nearby.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Great snipes are notable long‑distance migrants; some individuals make extraordinary non‑stop flights from Scandinavia to sub‑Saharan Africa. Males gather at leks where they perform complex displays with tail fanning, wing-claps, and rattling clicks to attract females. They are heavier-bodied than common snipe and show broader white outer tail feathers in flight.
In flight
Engraving from Naumann, 1905
Egg of Gallinago media
Temperament
skulking and secretive, males display at leks
Flight Pattern
explosive flush with short rapid wingbeats, then strong and direct flight
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it is usually solitary or in small loose groups. In spring, males assemble at leks and perform ritualized dances and sound displays; mating is polygynous. Nests are ground scrapes concealed in dense vegetation; the female incubates and rears the chicks without male help.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
At leks males produce rattling trills, clicks, and snaps, often accompanied by audible wing-claps. Contact calls are soft, and the species is generally quiet away from display sites.
Plumage
Heavily mottled brown, black, and buff upperparts with pale braces; boldly barred flanks and underparts; shorter, stout-looking bill compared to common snipe.
Diet
Feeds mainly on invertebrates such as earthworms, beetles, fly larvae, and small molluscs, supplemented with seeds and other plant matter. Uses its long, sensitive bill to probe soft mud and damp soil, extracting prey by touch. Often swallows small items whole and may feed intensively to build fat reserves before migration.
Preferred Environment
Forages on saturated soils at the margins of marshes, in wet meadows, floodplains, and damp pastures. In winter, also uses irrigated fields and grassy wetlands with shallow standing water.
