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The Common Snipe Entangled in Electric Wires

Grandpa Lee was once a well-known neighborhood clairvoyant. Whenever any little thing happened within a hundred miles, he could spot it right away. He was also enthusiastic about civil affairs and was tasked with minding the neighborhood and keeping an eye on the safety of the flock. As time went by however, his eyesight deteriorated. A few days ago, as he was strolling along the riverbank, he didn’t see some wires on the ground and tripped over them. To recuperate, he is taking a few weeks off at home.

Common Snipe

The common snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a wader of the Scolopacidae family and genus Gallinago. It is a very common winter migratory and transit bird.

Features

Both sexes of the common snipe are similar in appearance. Its plumage is mottled brown and black with yellow, creamy white and bronze stripes and spots. On its back, there are creamy diamond spots forming a vertical pattern. It is well camouflaged among bushes during the winter, and its bill is long and straight with the tip turning to black. When in flight, it utters a sharp, rising sound similar to “scape, scape”.
Habitat

It usually can be seen in open wetlands with blocking vegetation. A paddy field is its most typical roosting environment. This is why it is called the “Paddy Scolopacidae” in Mandarin.
Distribution

It is distributed north of the equator while its breeding habitat is in the frigid zone in the high altitudes of Europe, Asia and North America. It winters in middle and low altitude zones.
Habits

It tends to stay alert and still during the daytime and is well camouflaged. At dusk and dawn as well as relatively dark, rainy periods it forages more frequently. Besides migration, it rarely flies long distances.
Diet

It pokes its long bill into mud to probe and pick up food including small fish, insects, crustaceans and molluscs.

Extended Reading

Do birds serve as a fantasy in the urban landscape, or are they neighbors that share the same living space as us?

When the tide is high, the intertidal zone where sandpipers and charadriidae forage becomes flooded. As a consequence, they must find temporary roosting places until the water goes down so they can return to their foraging spots. In order to not consume too much energy, they usually roost in human communities on the coast that are close to their foraging areas.

But for birds and other flying creatures, electric wires, cables, high-rise buildings, iron towers, bridges and wind turbines can all be fatal traps. According to “Bird Ringing: A Concise Guide” published by the British Trust for Ornithology in 2008, “dying because of slamming into electric wires” ranked as the 6th most common cause of death, placing even higher than “being preyed on by predators” (which ranked 8th).

When death becomes common outside of the natural cycle or humanity’s infrastructure exceeds our basic requirements and even harms the roosting of wildlife, how do place a value on the innumerable lives that are lost?

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