Jack Snipe - Lymnocryptes minimus
Description
Smaller than Snipe with a shorter bill, shorter tail and shorter wings. A secretive bird, the Jack Snipe is an extremely difficult bird to see, partly because they are not very common but mostly because they are so well camouflaged and when approached they tend to crouch down and let you walk past them, only flying at the last minute. It will fly low and rapidly drop down again, unlike Snipe which zig-zags and then flies off high. When feeding it has a characteristic 'bouncing' motion, as if it is on a spring.
Photo ID?
Habitat
In winter, found in lowland wetland areas - the edges of reedbeds and shallow lagoons, fenland, flooded meadows, river edges and muddy ditches.
When to see it
Birds usually arrive in the UK between September and November, leaving again in February and March.
Life History
Jack Snipes are migratory, spending the non-breeding period in Great Britain, Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal Europe, Africa, and India. Their breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra
and wet meadows with short vegetation in northern Europe and northern Russia.
UK Status
Wintering birds number 10,000-100,000
VC55 Status
Uncommon winter visitor and passage migrant. Recorded in all months except June and July
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Chris Lythall
Rutland Water - 05 March 2006
Leicestershire & Rutland
UK Map
On the Leicestershire & Rutland map above, red = NatureSpot records, green = NBN records. You can add a dot to this map if you submit a wildlife sighting (with or without an image). You can also find out more about these species distribution maps on our Maps help page.
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