Great snipe

Introduction: Great snipes (Gallinago media) inhabit both short grass away from water as well as lake fringes and flooded marshes. They are usually solitary birds sometimes seen in groups, active at dawn and dusk.

Distribution: Isolated observations and recordings have been made in the north of Namibia.

Diet: Marsh foragers for invertebrates including worms, crabs and insects.

Description: Medium-sized shorebird with short legs and long, downward pointing bills. Gallinago is 'snipe' in Latin although it is strictly a woodcock from gallina or a 'a hen'.

Breeding: Great snipes breed out of Namibia.

Size: 28cm.

Weight: 230g.