The Indian Subcontinent provides suitable habitats to various species of birds for residing and nesting. Snipes are no exception in this regard. Various types of snipes have been recorded in India. These snipes are described below.
Greater Painted-Snipe
The male Greater Painted-Snipe is paler and greyer in color. Its head and neck are grey-brown and ash-grey in color, respectively. It has white streaked throat. The upperparts and wings are gold, brown and black whereas the underparts are white. The bird has a distinct golden eye patch.
The female counterpart has dark red-brown head and neck. There are white patches around the eyes of the bird. The bird has dark bronze-green upperparts, with fine black barring. There is a distinct black band across the breast. The bird has dark grey, white and gold colored wings.
Pin-Tailed Snipe
Pin-Tailed Snipe is the most common migrant snipe of southern India. This snipe is a mottled brown bird. It has a long, straight and dark bill. A dark stripe runs through the eye of the bird and there are light stripes above and below it. The underside is pale. The bird has streaked buff breast and white belly. The short legs are greenish-grey in appearance. Male and female snipes are similar.
Solitary Snipe
Migratory Solitary Snipe winters in northern India. The bill of the bird is brown and black colored and is long, straight and fairly slender. This snipe has a whitish face. It has ginger-brown breast and white colored belly. There are medium brown stripes on the upperparts, head and neck. There is brown barring on the flanks. Whitish edges to the feathers create lines down the bird"s back. The bird has yellowish-olive to yellowish-brown legs and feet.
Common Snipe
Common Snipe is a winter visitor and local resident of India. It has cryptically patterned and mottled brown upperparts and paler underparts. The bill of the bird is extremely elongated, straight and dark. There are pale stripes on the back and dark streaks on the chest of the bird. There is a dark stripe which runs through the eye and light stripes are present above and below it. The bird has pointed and long wings. The bird has short legs and tail. The male and female birds are similar, but the female bird may have a slightly longer bill.
Jack Snipe
Jack Snipe migrates during the non-breeding period to India. This snipe has a mottled brown upper body and pale lower body. It has a dark stripe which runs through the eye and also has yellow back stripes. The wings of the bird are pointed and narrow.
