Birds and wildlife

Jack Snipe

Lymnocryptes minimusGroup: Sandpipers, snipes and phalaropesUK Conservation status:Green

How to identify

Smaller and more compact than the Snipe, and with a much shorter bill. It's a secretive bird and when approached it tends to crouch down, relying on its camouflaged plumage, only flying at the last minute. It flies low and rapidly drops down again, unlike Snipes which zig-zag and then fly off high. When feeding it has a characteristic bouncing motion, as if on a spring.

Key

  1. Resident
  2. Passage
  3. Summer
  4. Winter
* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Key facts