A common but often secretive species, this snipe feeds alone in low dense marsh grass and only rarely ventures out into the open. It probes wet mud with its long, flexible bill to catch insects and other invertebrates. The nest is made of moss and fine grass and placed on the ground where it is concealed by dense wet vegetation. In the spring and summer, and occasionally on the wintering grounds, the male repeatedly flies high in to the sky and dives toward the ground with its tail feathers spread to make a distinctive and peculiar \winnowing\ sound.
