Common snipe
Gallinago gallinago
Giorgi Natsvlishvili · Batumi, Adjara Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 23–28 cm
- Diet
- Insect larvae, earthworms and insects
- Status in Georgia
- Winter visitor and passage migrant
- Recorded regions
- Kvemo Kartli; Adjara
- Habitat
- Marshes and wet meadows
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Protection
- Globally LC (2025)
The common snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a medium-sized wader with short legs and a very long, straight bill: the bill is about twice the length of the head. It is 23–28 cm long and weighs 80–120 g. Above it is brown, mottled black and buff, with pale stripes on the back; the belly is pale. This plumage makes it hard to spot in a marsh, and often it is noticed only when it suddenly flies up from underfoot. It is harmless to people. In Georgia it is seen mainly in winter and on migration: from August to May, most often in December. Most observations come from Kvemo Kartli, at Lake Kumisi and in Gardabani Municipality, and from Adjara, at Batumi. Globally its risk of extinction is low (LC, 2025), although its numbers are probably falling.
Identification
Common snipe: how to identify it
A medium-sized, short-legged wader with a very long, straight bill. Above it is mottled brown and black, with pale stripes on the back. In Georgia it is seen in marshes and on the grassy shores of lakes and pools.
It is 23–28 cm long, with a wingspan of 39–45 cm, and weighs 80–120 g, about 108 g on average. The legs and neck are short, and the bill is very long and straight, about twice the length of the head. The bill is dark brown and the legs greenish-yellow. The male is slightly larger than the female; the sexes look alike.
Above it is brown, mottled black, with pale buff stripes along the back. The breast is streaked dark and the belly is white. Juveniles have a yellowish tinge to the stripes, which adults lack. This plumage camouflages it well in marsh grass.
You often notice it when it bursts up from wet ground very close to you and flies off in an erratic zigzag. In spring the male "drums" in the air: as it dives, the wind vibrates its outer tail feathers and makes a distinctive sound.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
The common snipe breeds in open fresh or brackish marshes with dense grass: on the grassy and marshy shores of lakes and rivers, wet hay meadows, swampy meadows and marshy tundra. It needs grassy cover and moist soil rich in organic matter. Outside the breeding season it uses similar places, but also man-made ones such as sewage farms, rice fields and meadows at river mouths. Worldwide it occurs from sea level up to 3,600 m. In Georgia it is seen most often in Kvemo Kartli, at Lake Kumisi, in Gardabani Municipality and near Rustavi. It is also seen in Adjara, near Batumi. In Mtskheta-Mtianeti, in Abkhazia near Gagra, in Samegrelo in Zugdidi Municipality, and in Shida Kartli at Nadarbazevi Lake only single birds have been seen.
The common snipe map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Records run from August to May, with most in December. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It eats mainly insect larvae, as well as adult insects, earthworms, small crustaceans, small snails and spiders. It also eats a little plant fibre and some seeds. It finds food by probing soft ground with rhythmic, vertical movements of the bill, often without pulling the bill out of the soil.
It is mostly migratory. The autumn migration lasts from late July to November, and in spring it crosses Europe from March to early May. Many birds from Russia cross the Sahara and winter in Africa. In Georgia it is seen mainly in winter and on migration: from August to May, most often in December. There are no observations here in June and July. It is active by day and usually feeds in small groups. It breeds from April to June. It defends a territory, and the male "drums" in the air over it to attract a female. The nest is usually on a dry spot, covered by grass, rushes, sedges or sphagnum moss. It lays 4 eggs. The female incubates for 18–20 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and start to fly at about 19–20 days. Many nests are lost to predators or trampled by cattle.
Globally the common snipe's risk of extinction is rated low (LC, 2025). Its range and numbers are very large: there are about 7–11 million mature birds. Numbers are probably falling, but not fast enough for it to be considered threatened. In Europe the main cause of decline is the drainage of marshes and wet meadows. About 1.5 million snipe are hunted in Europe every year. It is not on the 2014 Red List of Georgia. In an updated assessment (2021) that has not yet been approved, its risk in Georgia is also rated low (LC) and its numbers stable.
Alexander Abuladze · Giorgi Natsvlishvili · stamplevskiyd · Zhou Zichen · Pavel Shukov
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Yes, mainly in winter and on migration. It is seen from August to May, most often in December.
Most often in Kvemo Kartli, at Lake Kumisi and in Gardabani Municipality, and in Adjara, near Batumi. Look in marshes and on the grassy, muddy shores of lakes.
It is a medium-sized, short-legged bird with a very long, straight bill, about twice the length of its head. Above it is mottled brown and black, with pale stripes on the back. It often flies up from underfoot and zigzags away.
In Georgia it is considered a winter visitor and passage migrant. There are no observations here in June and July, during the breeding season.
It is 23–28 cm long, with a wingspan of 39–45 cm, and weighs 80–120 g.
Mainly insect larvae, as well as insects, earthworms, small crustaceans, snails and spiders. It searches for food in soft ground with its bill.
The common snipe is harmless to people. Globally its risk of extinction is low, although its numbers are falling. It is not on the 2014 Red List of Georgia.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
