Smaller than Snipe with a shorter bill, shorter tail and shorter wings. A secretive bird, the Jack Snipe is an extremely difficult bird to see, partly because they are not very common but mostly because they are so well camouflaged and when approached they tend to crouch down and let you walk past them, only flying at the last minute. It will fly low and rapidly drop down again, unlike Snipe which zig-zags and then flies off high. When feeding it has a characteristic 'bouncing' motion, as if it is on a spring.

In winter, found in lowland wetland areas - the edges of reedbeds and shallow lagoons, fenland, flooded meadows, river edges and muddy ditches.

Birds usually arrive in the UK between September and November, leaving again in February and March.

Jack Snipes are migratory, spending the non-breeding period in Great Britain, Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal Europe, Africa, and India. Their breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows with short vegetation in northern Europe and northern Russia.

Wintering birds number 10,000-100,000

Uncommon winter visitor and passage migrant. Recorded in all months except June and July