Gallinago is a genus of
birds in the
wader family
Scolopacidae, containing 17 species. This genus contains the majority of the world's
snipe species, the other two extant genera being
Coenocorypha, with two species, and
Lymnocryptes, the jack snipe. Morphologically, they are all similar, with a very long slender bill and cryptic
plumage. Most have distinctive displays, usually given at dawn or dusk. They search for
invertebrates in the mud with a "sewing-machine" action of their long bills.