Snipe Call MP3s
A fast, buzzy snipe vocalization built for marsh and wet-meadow hunters working boggy ground where snipe flush unpredictably.
Also known as
Recordings (5)
About this species
The Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a migratory wader (shorebird) of around 26 cm — superbly camouflaged in gold-and-brown stripes above an extraordinarily long, straight bill. It breeds on wet bogs, fens and rushy marshes with soft, probe-able ground.
In its switchback display flight the outer tail feathers vibrate to produce an eerie, bleating 'drumming'. It probes soft ground and mud for earthworms, leatherjackets and other invertebrates. When flushed it towers away in a fast, jinking zigzag, calling sharply. On passage it threads through the wetlands of Greece and the Mediterranean each spring and autumn, a classic bird of the open marsh.
Legal use
The Common Snipe is a well-established game species across much of its wintering and breeding range, with regulated hunting seasons in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, and other EU countries. Note that the North American counterpart is now recognized as a separate species, Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata, split from Common Snipe in 2003), which is the migratory gamebird hunted with generous seasons across nearly all US states and in Canada. Season dates, bag limits, and licensing requirements vary significantly by country and region, and snipe are protected in some areas despite being quarry elsewhere in their wide Eurasian and African wintering range. Confirm current local rules before hunting; see our full country-by-country disclaimer.