- Jack Snipe
Taxobox
name = Jack Snipe
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
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image_width = 205px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Charadriiformes
familia =Scolopacidae
genus = "Lymnocryptes"
genus_authority = Boie, 1826
species = "L. minimus"
binomial = "Lymnocryptes minimus"
binomial_authority = (Brunnich,1764 )The Jack Snipe, "Lymnocryptes minimus" is a small stocky
wader . It is the smallestsnipe , and the only one in the genus "Lymnocryptes" which is quite distinct from other snipes orwoodcock s (Thomas "et al.", 2004).Their breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows with short vegetation in northern
Europe and northernRussia . They nest in a well-hidden location on the ground, laying 3-4 eggs.Jack Snipes are migratory, wintering in
Great Britain , Atlantic andMediterranean coastal Europe,Africa , andIndia .These birds forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and earthworms, also plant material. They are difficult to see, being well camouflaged in their habitat.
Adults are smaller than
Common Snipe and have relatively shorter bill. The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye. The wings are pointed and narrow, and yellow back stripes are visible in flight. When seen, the distinctive bobbing movement, as if thebird is on springs, has an almost hypnotic quality.The head pattern of Jack Snipe differs from Common Snipe and other species in the genus "Gallinago", in that there is no central crown-stripe; instead, there are two pale lateral crown-stripes, which are separated from the
supercilium by an area of dark plumage.The male performs an aerial display during courtship, and has a sound like a galloping horse. It is silent in winter.
Jack Snipe can be secretive on their wintering grounds, and as a result are difficult to observe. As a result of this, birdwatchers have developed a specialised technique for finding the species. This involves walking through its marshy habitat until a bird is disturbed and flies up. Jack Snipe will squat down and not flush from cover until the intruder is within a metre of the bird. They then fly a short distance before dropping back into vegetation.
The Jack Snipe is one of the species to which the "Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds" (
AEWA ) applies.References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* Thomas, Gavin H.; Wills, Matthew A. & Székely, Tamás (2004): A supertree approach to shorebird phylogeny. "BMC Evol. Biol." 4: 28. doi|10.1186/1471-2148-4-28 [http://www.pubmedcentral.org/picrender.fcgi?artid=515296&blobtype=pdf PDF fulltext] [http://www.pubmedcentral.org/articlerender.fcgi?artid=515296#supplementary-material-sec Supplementary Material]
External Links
* [http://www.bsc-eoc.org/avibase/species.jsp?lang=EN&id=0502D40AA69340CB&ts=1220249161630&sec=flickr Avibase]
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