Jacksnipe

Jacksnipe 

(Lymnocryptes minima), a bird of the subfamily Scolopadicae, order Charadriiformes. Body length, 19—22cm; weight, about 80 g. The beak is long and thin; the back is black, with a metallic shine. The top of the head is black and speckled; the sides of the head are lightly striped. The ventral region is whitish. Jacksnipes are found in the northern and middle parts of Europe and Asia. They nest in dry places in tundra, forest-tundra, and bogs in the northern part of the taiga zone. The clutch has four eggs, hatched by the female. They are night and dusk birds, with a secretive mode of life. They never occur in large numbers. They are birds of passage but sometimes may also be wintering birds, as, for example, in the south of the USSR. They feed on insects and their larvae, worms, and mollusks. Jacksnipes are hunted for sport.