biology

Jack snipe

Jack snipe is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jack snipe rather than just read about it. In short: The jack snipe or jacksnipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) is a small stocky wader. It is the smallest snipe, and the only member of the genus Lymnocryptes.

Key takeaways

Jack snipe belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jack snipe to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jack snipe from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The jack snipe or jacksnipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) is a small stocky wader. It is the smallest snipe, and the only member of the genus Lymnocryptes. Features such as its sternum and its continuous 'bobbing up and down' make it quite distinct from other snipes or woodcocks.

Taxonomy The jack snipe was formally described in 1764 by the Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich under the binomial name Scolopax minima. He specified the type locality as the Danish island of Christiansø. Brünnich based his account on "La petite béccassine" that had been described and illustrated in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. The jack snipe is now the only species placed in the genus Lymnocryptes that was introduced in 1826 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie. The species is considered to be monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The genus name Lymnocryptes is from Ancient Greek limne, "marsh" and kruptos, "hidden". The species name minimus is from Latin and means "smallest". The common name has been said to come from the Welsh word for a snipe, giach (pronounced with a hard g), but modern dictionaries say it comes from the masculine name Jack. Alfred Newton hypothesized that, "It may be, as in Jackass, an indication of sex, for it is a popular belief that the Jack-Snipe is the male of the common species; or, again, it may refer to the comparatively small size of the bird, as the 'jack' in the game of bowls is the smallest of the balls used, and as fishermen call the smaller Pikes Jacks."

Description

Adults are smaller than common snipes and have relatively shorter bills. The bird's length is 18–25 cm (7.1–9.8 in), wingspan is 30–41 cm (12–16 in) and weight is 33–73 g (1.2–2.6 oz). The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. Jack snipes have a dark stripe through the eye. The wings are pointed and narrow, and yellow back stripes are visible in flight. When seen, the distinctive bobbing movement, as if the bird is on springs, has an almost hypnotic quality. The head pattern of the jack snipe differs from the common snipe and other species in the genus Gallinago, in that there is no central crown-stripe; instead, there are two pale lateral crown-stripes, which are separated from the supercilium by an area of dark plumage.

Distribution and habitat Jack snipes are migratory, spending the non-breeding period in Great Britain, Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal Europe, Africa, and India. The jack snipe is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Their breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows with short vegetation in northern Europe and northern Russia. They are rare vagrants in North America. There is also a record from Colombia in South America.

Behaviour

Jack snipes can be secretive in their non-breeding areas and are difficult to observe, being well camouflaged in their habitat. Consequently, birdwatchers have developed a specialised technique for finding them. This involves walking through its marshy habitat until a bird is disturbed and flies up. Jack snipes will squat down and not flush from cover until an intruder is quite close. They then quietly fly a short distance before dropping back into vegetation.

Feeding They forage in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and earthworms, also plant material.

Breeding The male performs an aerial display during courtship, during which it makes a distinctive sound like a galloping horse. It is silent in winter. They nest in a well-hidden location on the ground, laying 3–4 eggs.

References

External links

Ageing and sexing (PDF; 0.57 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze Feathers of jack snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) Archived 2018-03-04 at the Wayback Machine at Ornithos.de Archived 2018-03-04 at the Wayback Machine BirdLife species factsheet for Lymnocryptes minimus "Lymnocryptes minimus". Avibase. "Jack snipe media". Internet Bird Collection. Jack snipe photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University) Interactive range map of Lymnocryptes minimus at IUCN Red List Audio recordings of Jack snipe on Xeno-canto. Lymnocryptes minimus in Field Guide: Birds of the World on Flickr

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jack snipe

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jack snipe claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jack snipe before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jack snipe ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jack snipe

In research: Jack snipe appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jack snipe in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jack snipe is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Birds described in 1764, Birds of Russia, Birds of Scandinavia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jack snipe outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jack snipe in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jack snipe means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jack snipe out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jack snipe in simple terms?

The jack snipe or jacksnipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) is a small stocky wader. It is the smallest snipe, and the only member of the genus Lymnocryptes.

Why does Jack snipe matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jack snipe?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jack snipe.