Common Snipe

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Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Marshes, wet meadows.
Diet: Worms, larvae.
Best time to spot: Drumming display flight.

When to look

Resident in the UK, so it can be found year-round. Numbers peak in May. See the May birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

How rare is it?

The Common Snipe sits in our Common tier for the UK: one of the birds you can expect on most days out in the right habitat. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Wilson's SnipeLegendary · Wet marshes (extreme vagrant)
• Great SnipeEpic · Rough grass
• Common RedshankCommon · Marshes
• Eurasian TealCommon · Marshes
• Greylag GooseCommon · Lakes
• Northern LapwingCommon · Wet meadows

Kit that helps

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