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Snipe are medium
sized, skulking wading birds
with short legs and long straight bills. Both sexes
are mottled brown above, with paler buff stripes
on the back, dark streaks on
the chest and pale under parts.
During the
breeding season snipe are best looked
for on moor land, especially on early spring
mornings when males can be heard giving their
'drumming' or 'bleating' display.
In winter, look
patiently around the edges of pools in well-vegetated wetlands.
They eat
small invertebrates, including worms and insect larvae. They search for
invertebrates
in the mud with a "sewing-machine" action of their long bills
Some snipe
species have been hunted for food and sport since the invention of the shotgun.
They can
be extremely difficult targets, confounding even
very skilled hunters
with their erratic flight, their unexpected flushes, their excellent natural
camouflage
and the treacherous and difficult terrain they typically inhabit.
The
elusive nature of the snipe is well-known
among hunters. In the days of market
hunting, the most skilled hunters of all would often bring many Common Snipe to
market earning the moniker "sniper" as a badge of respect for the difficulty in
shooting this amazing little bird. The term has evolved into the modern usage
sniper,
referring to
a skilled antipersonnel sharpshooter.
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