This rare visitor from Eurasia is much smaller than other snipes. The bill, dull pinkish with a dark tip, is comparatively short. In flight, the tail is dark and pointed, and the wings are slightly rounded. The upperparts are mottled chestnut and dark glossy green. Two pairs of buffy yellow stripes, one down the back, the other along the scapulars, are obvious both at rest and in flight. The face shows a pale line below the eye and two pale lines above the eye (split supercilium), but lack the central crown stripe seen on other snipes. The underparts are white with brown streaking across the breast and down the sides, but with no barring. Wing linings are white, unlike heavily barred underwings Wilson's Snipe.

Length: 18 (cm) Wingspan: 38 (cm)

Habitat:

Forest bogs, wet meadows, muddy shores.

Behavior:

Shy and hesitant to fly, this bird waits until an intruder is very close before flushing, then quickly drops back down into heavy cover.

Feeding:

Proves mud for worms and insects, often bobbing up and down while feeding.