Gallinago media

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Charadriiformes
Subordo: Charadrii

Familia: Scolopacidae
Genus: Gallinago
Species: Gallinago media
Name

Gallinago media (Latham, 1787)
Synonymy

Scolopax media (protonym)

References

Supplement to the General synopsis of birds: 292.

Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Dubbelsnip
العربية: شنقب كبير
asturianu: Gacha Rial
azərbaycanca: Ortaboy tənbəlcüllüt
башҡортса: Зырҡыуыт
беларуская (тарашкевіца): Дубальт
беларуская: Дубальт
български: Голяма бекасина
brezhoneg: Gioc'h lost gwenn
català: Becadell gros
čeština: Bekasina větší
Cymraeg: Gïach fawr
dansk: Tredækker
Deutsch: Doppelschnepfe
Ελληνικά: Διπλοπικάτσονο
English: Great Snipe
Esperanto: Granda galinago
español: Agachadiza Real
eesti: Rohunepp
euskara: Istingor handi
فارسی: پاشلک بزرگ
suomi: Heinäkurppa
føroyskt: Trírondut snípa
Nordfriisk: Dobelsnep
français: Bécassine double
Gaeilge: Naoscach Mhór
galego: Becacina real
Gaelg: Coar heddagh vooar
עברית: חרטומית בינונית
hrvatski: Šljuka Livadarka
magyar: Nagy sárszalonka
հայերեն: Կրկնակտցար
íslenska: Heiðasnípa
italiano: Croccolone
日本語: ヨーロッパジシギ
ქართული: გოჭა
қазақша: Мањқы
кыргызча: Жалган эчкимаарак
Lëtzebuergesch: Duebel Bekassinn
lietuvių: Stulgys
latviešu: Ķikuts
македонски: Голема шлука
монгол: Оноот хараалж
Malti: Bekkaċċ ta' Mejju
Nederlands: Poelsnip
norsk nynorsk: Dobbeltbekkasin
norsk: Dobbeltbekkasin
Diné bizaad: Ndahoditsʼǫʼtah tábąąsdísí
polski: Bekas dubelt
پنجابی: وڈا سنائپ
português: Narceja-real
rumantsch: Becassina dubla
română: Becațină mare
русский: Дупель
davvisámegiella: Stuorrameahkástat
slovenčina: Močiarnica tichá
slovenščina: Coketa
shqip: Shapka e madhe e ujit
српски / srpski: Šljuka livadarka - Шлјука ливадарка
svenska: Dubbelbeckasin
Kiswahili: Sululu Mkubwa
Türkçe: Büyük su çulluğu
українська: Баранець великий
中文: 斑腹沙锥

The great snipe (Gallinago media) is a small stocky wader in the genus Gallinago. This bird's breeding habitat is marshes and wet meadows with short vegetation in north-eastern Europe, including north-western Russia. Great snipes are migratory, wintering in Africa. The European breeding population is in steep decline.
Taxonomy

The great snipe was described by the English naturalist John Latham in 1787 with the binomial name Scolopax media.[2][3][4] The name of the current genus Gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling". The specific media is Latin for "intermediate", because this species is intermediate in size between the woodcock and the common snipe.[5]
Description
In flight

At 26–30 cm (10–12 in) in length and a 42–50 cm (17–20 in) wingspan, adults are only slightly larger, but much bulkier, than the common snipe and have a shorter bill. The body is mottled brown on top and barred underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye. The wings are broad, and a pale wingbar is visible in flight.

The voice is described as a faint yeah. Mating display calls of groups can be heard at long distances (more than 300 m (330 yd)) and sound like a mixture of firecracker wind-up xylophone sounds.
Behaviour and ecology
Engraving from Naumann, 1905

The birds are noted for their fast, non-stop flying capabilities over huge distances.[6] They can fly up to 97 km/h (60 mph), with researchers finding little evidence of wind assistance. Some have been recorded to fly non-stop for 84 hours over 6,760 km (4,200 mi) at altitudes up to 8700 metres.[7] Their wings are not especially aerodynamic, lacking pointed tips, and they typically do not stop to feed despite having opportunities. The birds instead rely on stores of fat.[6]

At dusk during the breeding season, the males display at a lek (arena), standing erect with chest puffed and tail fanned out. They may jump into the air, and will produce a variety of rattles, clicks, buzzes and whistles while displaying. Three to four eggs are laid in a well-hidden nest on the ground.

These birds forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and earthworms, and occasional plant material. They are difficult to see, being well camouflaged in their habitat. When flushed from cover, they fly straight for a considerable distance before dropping back into vegetation.
Migration

In their seasonal migrations between Sweden and sub-Saharan Africa, great snipes make non-stop flights of 4,000–7,000 km, lasting 60–90 h. During these flights, great snipes repeatedly changed altitudes around dawn and dusk, between average cruising heights about 2,000 m (above sea level) at night and around 4,000 m during daytime. Most birds regularly flew at 6,000 m and one bird reached 8,700 m, possibly the highest altitude ever recorded for a migrating bird.[8]
Egg of Gallinago media
Fossils

Fossils of the great snipe have been uncovered in North Carolina, dating back to about 4.465 Ma ±0.865M. This suggests that the bird must have at some point relocated across the Atlantic Ocean.[9]
Status

In 2012, there were estimated to be between 15,000 and 40,000 great snipe in Scandinavia and between 450,000 and 1,000,000 in western Siberia and northeastern Europe. The species is experiencing a population decline, owing primarily to habitat loss, as well as to hunting in eastern Europe and in its African wintering range. The species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as "Near Threatened".[1] The great snipe is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.[10]
References

BirdLife International (2017). "Gallinago media". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22693093A111105264. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22693093A111105264.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
Latham, John (1787). Supplement to the General synopsis of birds. London: Leigh & Sotheby. p. 292.
Latham, John (1785). A general synopsis of birds. Volume 3 Part 1. Vol. 3. London: Leigh & Sotheby. p. 133.
Peters, J.L, ed. (1934). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 2. Vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 275.
Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 170, 244. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
Klaassen, Raymond H.G.; Alerstam, Thomas; Carlsson, Peter; Fox, James W.; Lindström, Åke (25 May 2011). "Great flights by great snipes: long and fast non-stop migration over benign habitats". Biology Letters. 7 (6): 833–835. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0343. PMC 3210655. PMID 21613283.
Liljemalm, Anna (30 June 2021). "Dubbelbeckasinen slår höjdrekord". Forskning & Framsteg (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
Lindström, Åke; Alerstam, Thomas; Andersson, Arne; Bäckman, Johan; Bahlenberg, Peter; Bom, Roeland; Ekblom, Robert; Klaassen, Raymond H.G.; Korniluk, Michał; Sjöberg, Sissel; Weber, Julia K.M. (August 2021). "Extreme altitude changes between night and day during marathon flights of great snipes". Current Biology. 31 (15): 3433–3439.e3. Bibcode:2021CBio...31E3433L. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.047. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 34197730.
"†Capella media Latham 1787 (snipe)". Fossilworks: Gateway to The Paleobiology Database. 3 January 2009. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2021.

"Agreement Text and Annexes" (PDF). Agreement on the Conservation of African - Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). November 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2016.

Further reading
Lindström, Å.; Alerstam, T.; Bahlenberg, P.; Ekblom, R.; Fox, J.W.; Råghall, J.; Klaassen, R.H.G. (2016). "The migration of the great snipe Gallinago media: intriguing variations on a grand theme" (PDF). Journal of Avian Biology. 47 (3): 321–334. doi:10.1111/jav.00829. Open access icon
Løfaldli, L.; Kålås, J.A.; Fiske, P. (1992). "Habitat selection and diet of Great Snipe Gallinago media during breeding". Ibis. 134 (1): 35–43. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1992.tb07227.x.