Miniature snipe
| Miniature snipe | ||||||||
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Miniature snipe ( Lymnocryptes minimus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||
| Lymnocryptes | ||||||||
| Boie , 1826 | ||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||
| Lymnocryptes minimus | ||||||||
| ( Brünnich , 1764) |
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The miniature snipe ( Lymnocryptes minimus ) is a very small species of bird from the family of snipe birds (Scolopacidae). It is the only species in the genus Lymnocryptes . Their closed brood distribution extends from northeast Fennoscandia and northwestern Russia through the taiga zone to eastern Siberia . There it breeds in open swamps, floodplains and moors. There are also scattered breeding occurrences in southwest Scandinavia and in eastern Central Europe , where the species was probably more widespread until the 19th century.
The miniature snipe is a migratory bird that migrates south between September and November and overwinters from central and western Europe south to the tropics. The return to the breeding areas occurs between April and May. Europe is crossed on a broad front by train and individual migrants or overwinterers can be found in suitable habitats everywhere, even on very small bodies of water. However, they are often overlooked due to their good camouflage and hidden way of life.
description
With a body length of 17 to 19 cm, of which 36 to 43 mm is accounted for by the beak, the miniature snipe is significantly smaller than a snipe and roughly comparable in size to a skylark . It is the smallest of the species known in the narrower sense as "snipe" worldwide. The weight is usually between 35 and 73 g with extreme values between 28 and 106 g. The wingspan is between 34 and 42 cm. Male and female do not differ outwardly, but the male has larger average values in many characteristics. In the female, however, the beak is on average longer.
In adult birds, the vertex, which begins at an acute angle at the base of the upper beak and extends into the nape of the neck, is glossy black-brown with lighter spots. The wide, light yellow stripe above the eye extends down to the middle of the eye and completely encloses a narrower, blackish line above the eye. A black eye stripe begins in front of the eye as a very wide rein and continues behind the eye, which sits quite far back on the sides of the head, narrower and runs into a larger, dark spot on the ear covers . A diffuse cheek stripe runs lengthways across the lower sides of the head, which are whitish beige like the chin and throat. The neck, chest and front flanks are washed-out brownish with strong, dark longitudinal stripes on the sides of the neck, the middle of the neck, chest and flanks. The belly and lower tail are white with some reddish-brown striped lower tail-covers in the middle. The nape of the neck is stained brownish-gray-brown and interspersed with also spotty with light lace hems. The back is predominantly black with a green to purple metallic sheen . Above it run four prominently protruding, light yellowish bands that are formed by the hems of the outer flags. The individual feathers of the back, the shoulders and the upper tail coverts are patterned reddish brown and show narrow, whitish lace hems. The hand and arm wings are dark brownish with a wide, white lace border on the arm wings. The innermost arm wings are light rust-brown with black spots on the outer flag. The large arm covers are dark brownish with a whitish light lace border. Most of the middle arm covers are black-brown in the center with a rust-brown subterminal border and a narrower white terminal border. The inner middle and small arm covers are dark brown with a whitish edge and the dark brown hand covers have a greenish sheen. The lower wing and the axillary springs are matt whitish gray-brown. The rudder feathers are gray to black brown with diffuse rust brown spots and edges. The middle pair is more intensely colored with a dark center and rust-brown edges. Legs and feet are gray-green in summer and dirty yellow to brownish flesh-colored with greener joints outside of the breeding season.
Subspecies or a geographical variation are not described.
Generic characteristics
The genus Lymnocryptes is very similar to the species of the genus Gallinago , but has some anatomical peculiarities and unique features. The rear edge of the sternum is incised twice and the structure of the syrinx is unique, at least for the Charadriiformes. The beak is relatively short and narrow with a high base and a slightly spoon-like broadened tip. The tail is wedge-shaped towards the back and is not rounded like the snipe. It has twelve control springs with a pointed middle pair. The inner arm-wings are pointed and the elbow horses are greatly elongated so that they almost reach the tip of the outer hand-wings. Another characteristic - unique to the Scolopacidae - is the greenish to purple metallic sheen of the upper side feathers.
Field identifier
The miniature snipe is similar to the common snipe and closely related species, but can be recognized in the field by its smaller and shorter-beaked shape, which is also noticeable in flight. A light parting strip on the dark headstock is missing and the dark back areas shine metallic green when viewed from close up. The tail tapers to the rear in a wedge shape and is not rounded like other snipes. The dashed lines on the flanks do not run transversely, but longitudinally and are significantly reduced.
In contrast to the common snipe, the miniature snipe does not immediately fly up when a person approaches, but presses against the ground, freezes and relies on its surprisingly good camouflage. Often the head is pressed against the ground with the beak and the body is raised a little backwards. The light stripes on the back are effectively aligned parallel to the stalks of reeds or rushes so that the bird dissolves optically almost perfectly. Only when you get closer than three or five meters to the bird does it fly.
Evidence can sometimes be more easily done through tracks, feces, poke holes or feathers. Typically, the footprints of a miniature snipe foraging for food are very close together - they almost touch or overlap. They are significantly smaller than those of the common snipe, with the length of the middle toe between 25 and 30 mm, that of the common snipe on average 32 to 39 mm.
Miniature snipe right in front of a man in the nature reserve "Feuchtgrünland am Hengsbecker Bach"
The same bird enlarged
Miniature snipe, well camouflaged between light stalks
Vocalizations
During the breeding season, the miniature snipe performs expression flights over the area, with phases of falling and climbing, during which a series of noises can be heard. The birds first fly from the ground at a 45-50 ° angle up to a height of 50-60 m, then a straight stretch or wide circles, and then fall down at a 45 ° angle with wings half-spread and finally to glide up again in a steep flight. First of all, a regular knocking otok-otok-otok ... can be heard that lasts about 5 seconds, followed by a somewhat faster phase that sounds like muffled horse -pounding, described as logitokk-logitokk-logitokk ... and lasts about 6 seconds. This is followed by a high-pitched, whistling whirl of about 6 seconds. The noises are quite quiet and not too far to hear.
Let outside breeding season startled departing or frightened birds muffled yah hear similar to the corresponding call of the snipe, but quieter. In contrast to the common snipe, the miniature snipe rarely utters this sound. A buzzing, almost crow-like grrrr is believed to be the call of the female.
distribution
The brood distribution of the bluebottle extends through the boreal zone of Eurasia and extends regionally into both the subboreal and subpolar zones .
The closed distribution ranges from northeastern Fennoscandia and northwestern Russia to eastern Siberia. In Sweden it mainly comprises the north-eastern provinces, in Norway parts of the province of Finnmark . In Finland the species occurs south to 63 ° / 64 ° N. In the area of the White Sea, the area extends northwards to about Imandra and Schoina , southwards to the Solowezki Islands and the Mesenbusen . As far as the lower Ob , the Arctic Circle represents the northern border, further east it runs through the Taimyr Depression to the lakes near Norilsk and finally to the mouth of the Chatanga . To the east, the species probably only breeds in a small enclave at the Kolyma estuary . The southern border runs from central Finland via Moscow and the area of the lower Kama and approximately at the level of the Tyumen - Tara - Tomsk line .
Outside of this distribution there are more or less regular, mostly small and isolated breeding occurrences in the south of Sweden and Finland, in the Biebrza swamps in Poland, in Estonia and Lithuania as well as in Belarus , on the upper Dnieper and on the Oka .
hikes
The miniature snipe is a migratory bird whose migration route can be of very different lengths. There is already overwintering in the south of Norway and Sweden. From there, the wintering area extends across Western Europe including the British Isles , the Mediterranean and the Maghreb to equatorial Africa. Here it extends south to the Gulf of Guinea and through Cameroon and the north of the Congo Basin to Kenya . There is also little evidence further south. In Asia, the winter area extends over Turkey and the Middle East to the Persian Gulf and northwards to the Caspian Sea as well as over large parts of the Indian subcontinent and to Vietnam and southeastern China . Winter evidence is also available from Iceland .
Northern and northeastern European birds evidently migrate southwest across Europe in a broad front. The Siberian populations overwinter from eastern Africa to Asia. Apparently the species shows a high degree of local loyalty in the wintering areas and to traditional resting places. How the winter stocks are numerically distributed is largely unknown. There are probably high concentrations in south-western Europe, in the Maghreb, in the countries of the Nile and in the Middle East.
They move out of the breeding areas after moulting in August and September. In the wintering quarters, the species usually arrives from October, in the tropics only from November. In Central Europe there is first evidence from the end of September and the train activity reaches its peak in October. They migrate home from March and April, the arrival in the breeding areas between mid-April and mid-May, or until the end of May in Siberia.
The species has been identified as a stray visitor in north-western North America, on Barbados , the Azores and Cape Verde , on Madeira , Jan Mayen and Bear Island . In Africa there was also some evidence south of the winter spread and on the Seychelles . In the Asian region, the exemption certificates extend to Japan , Korea , Taiwan and the Philippines . A possible proof is also available from Brunei .
habitat
The miniature snipe breeds in boggy swamps, river valleys with wet meadows or transitional moors . A vegetation is preferred Bülten and dwarf shrubs , but also Schachtelhalmfluren or Moore with peat mosses are accepted. Occasionally, the species is also found breeding in swampy swamp forests, on lake shores or swamps on the seashore.
A variety of similar habitats are assumed to be found on the train. These can be damp or waterlogged meadows, flat moors, muddy banks and silting zones, sewage fields or clarification ponds or even very damp ruderal areas. The species can also occasionally be found on drainage ditches or river banks, on fish ponds or on wet fields or scree fields, provided there is cover in loose vegetation and muddy areas for foraging. Sometimes these are alternative biotopes after disturbances or when no other suitable areas are available. Sometimes a few square meters are enough.
nutrition
The miniature snipe feeds on insects and their larvae, annelids , small water or land snails and occasionally on seeds or other parts of plants. The food is mostly searched for by poking in soft mud, whereby the beak is pierced vertically and the body is often typically rhythmically moved up and down. Sometimes the food is also picked from the surface. The foraging usually takes place at dusk or at night and individually or less often in small groups of up to five birds.
Reproduction
The miniature snipe presumably leads a monogamous seasonal marriage. The breeding season is between May and early September. There may be two annual broods at times.
Pair formation and courtship take place shortly after arriving in the breeding area. The males occupy quite large territories of up to 20 hectares and carry out a rather complex expressive flight (see under “Sounds”). This can sometimes be seen on the train as early as April. The courtship activity is mostly limited to the morning and evening hours. Courtship flights also take place less frequently during the day, but usually never in bright sunlight.
The nest is built on very moist to wet ground, but sometimes also in drier places on bults or on dwarf shrubs. It is a hollow up to 5 cm deep, which is sparsely lined with blades of grass, leaves or horsetail. Sometimes it is well covered by hanging or standing plants. The clutch consists of four, more rarely three eggs, which are speckled with dark chestnut-colored to sepia-colored on a sand-yellow to nut-brown background. They are about 38.6 × 27.4 mm on average. The incubation takes between 21 and 24 days. Presumably only the female breeds. However, both partners take part in raising the young. Older young are often led by the male. After 19 to 20 days, the boys are independent.
literature
- UN Glutz von Blotzheim , KM Bauer : Handbook of the birds of Central Europe (HBV). Volume 7: Charadriiformes. Part 2: snipe, seagull and alken birds. AULA-Verlag, ISBN 3-923527-00-4 .
- J. Van Gils, P. Wiersma, Guy Kirwan: Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) (1996/2016), in: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, AD Christie, E. de Juana (Eds.) : Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2015
- Peter Hayman, John Marchant, Tony Prater: Shorebirds: An identification guide. , Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston 1986, ISBN 0-395-37903-2 .
- Micheal Brinc Pedersen: Lymnocryptes minimus in WJM Hagemeijer, MJ Blair: The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds - their distribution and abundance , T & AD Poyser, London 1997, ISBN 0-85661-091-7 , pp. 286-287
- Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel , Wolfgang Fiedler (eds.): The compendium of birds in Central Europe: Everything about biology, endangerment and protection. Volume 1: Nonpasseriformes - non-sparrow birds. Aula-Verlag Wiebelsheim, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-89104-647-2 , pp. 480-482.
- Arkadiusz Sikora: Catching Jack Snipe with dip-nets in the non-breeding season , Wader Study Group Bulletin 108, December 2005, pp. 70–75, ( PDF download )
Web links
- Lymnocryptes minimus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on January 1 of 2009.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Lymnocryptes minimus in the Internet Bird Collection
- xeno-canto: sound recordings - miniature snipe ( Lymnocryptes minimus )
- Age and gender characteristics (PDF; 0.6 MB) by J. Blasco-Zumeta and G.-M. Heinze (Eng.)
- Feathers of the miniature snipe
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Hayman et al. (1986), p. 359 f, see literature
- ↑ a b c d Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 9 f, see literature
- ↑ Arkasdiusz Sikora, Anna Dubiec: Sex identification of Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus by discriminant analysis of morphometric measurements , Ardea 95 (1), pp. 125-133, ( PDF )
- ↑ a b c Sikora (2005), p. 71 f, see literature
- ↑ Audio sample about the breeding season
- ↑ a b Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 12, see literature
- ↑ Van Gils / Wiersma (2016), section “Voice”, see literature
- ↑ a b c Bauer et al. (2005), see literature
- ↑ a b c d e f g Van Gils / Wiersma (2016), see literature
- ↑ a b Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 13, see literature
- ↑ a b Pedersen (1997), EBCC Atlas, see literature
- ↑ a b c d Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 14 f, see literature
- ↑ a b Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 18 f, see literature
- ↑ Van Gils / Wiersma (2016), section “Food and feeding”, see literature
- ↑ Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 23 f, see literature
- ↑ a b Van Gils / Wiersma (2016), section “Breeding”, see literature
- ↑ a b c Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 19 f, see literature