As soon as I arrived at the wetland at dawn, 6 Common Snipes (Gallinago gallinago) suddenly flew up. It takes about half an hour until the first one flies in fluttering and then stands quietly, relying on the camouflage of its plumage, between dead grass and willow branches. A little later the next Common Snipe comes flying in, which is promptly attacked by the bird, which seem to see itself as the territory owner. A little later, more individuals arrive. Finally, 6 Common Snipes are foraging around in front of the hide. If the comfort distance is undercut, there are always short pursuits.
The area was heavily flooded during thunderstorms in the wet summer. Now the highest water levels have already receded, revealing muddy meadow areas that have the loose vegetation that is important for the Common Snipe. Now, at migration time, the Common Snipe occurs in these habitats; In autumn it likes to rest on mud flats, on flat banks and in ditches
In absolute terms, but also in relation to body length, the Common Snipe has one of the longest beaks in the bird kingdom. She needs her long beak to get to her main food, earthworms, which make up the largest part of her diet. But insects and their larvae, mollusks, crustaceans, parts of plants and seeds are also eaten. With their long beaks, the Common Snipes poke deep into the ground where the ground is moist or where there is shallow water. A special feature is their movable beak tip. This allows them to grab small prey underground and swallow them without having to pull their beak out of the ground.
In many parts of Germany there are only small breeding areas left. In Germany, the Common Snipe is particularly widespread throughout the northern German lowlands. The focus is particularly on the large wetland and moorland lowlands in the inland areas of the North Sea near the coast, but there are also significant occurrences in the northeast German lowlands (e.g. river valley moors and lake districts in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Uckermark, Drömling, Lower Elbe-Havel area, Spreewald). In central and southern Germany the species is rarer and only scattered distributed. The focus here is on the foothills of the Alps, in the Danube valley and in the mountainous areas of Hesse, Thuringia and northern Bavaria. For the last breeding birds, the remaining moors must be strictly protected and destroyed moor sites must be restored to nature.
However, Germany still has great importance as a migration and wintering area. The Common Snipe is both a migratory bird and a resident bird in the west of its breeding area. The areas in which Common Snipes survive during the winter also include areas in Germany with little snow and frost. Up to 400 Common Snipes stop off at Lake Constance in winter. The wintering quarters of the Common Snipe can be found in the Mediterranean region, in the Middle East and South Asia, West and East Africa up to the equator.
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