biology

Swinhoe's snipe

Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's snipe rather than just read about it. In short: Swinhoe's snipe (Gallinago megala), also known as forest snipe or Chinese snipe, is a medium-sized (length 27–29 cm, wingspan 38–44 cm, weight 120 gm), long-billed, migratory wader. The common name commemorates the British naturalist Robert Swinhoe who first described the species in 1861.

Key takeaways

Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's snipe to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Swinhoe's snipe from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Swinhoe's snipe (Gallinago megala), also known as forest snipe or Chinese snipe, is a medium-sized (length 27–29 cm, wingspan 38–44 cm, weight 120 gm), long-billed, migratory wader. The common name commemorates the British naturalist Robert Swinhoe who first described the species in 1861.

Identification It is identifiable as a Gallinago snipe by its cryptically patterned black, brown, buff and white plumage, but it is not easily distinguished from Latham's and pin-tailed snipe in the field. The species is commonly referred to as a cho suekyung in South Korea.

Distribution It breeds mainly in central and southern Siberia and Mongolia. The entire population migrates and spends the non-breeding season principally in eastern and southern India, Sri Lanka, south-eastern China, South-East Asia and New Guinea. It has been recorded on migration in eastern China and occasionally in Japan. Records in Australia are mainly from the Top End of the Northern Territory and from north-western Western Australia.

Habitat Breeding habitat: forest glades and meadows. Non-breeding habitat: shallow freshwater wetlands of various kinds including paddy fields and sewage farms, with bare mud or shallow water for feeding, with nearby vegetation cover.

Food Mainly small invertebrates including earthworms, mollusks and insects.

Breeding Display flights and drumming by the males.

Conservation Because of wide range and no evidence of significant population decline, the species is assessed as being of least concern.

References

BirdLife International. (2006). Species factsheet: Gallinago megala. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9 February 2007 Higgins, P.J.; & Davies, J.N. (eds). (1996). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 3: Snipe to Pigeons. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0-19-553070-5 Lane, Brett; & Davies, Jeff. (1987). Shorebirds in Australia. RAOU: Melbourne. ISBN 0-17-006824-2 National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. (1987). The Shorebirds of Australia. Angus & Robertson: Sydney. ISBN 0-207-15348-5

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Swinhoe's snipe

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's snipe

In research: Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's 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: Swinhoe's snipe is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Birds described in 1861, Birds of Manchuria, Birds of Mongolia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's snipe in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's snipe out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Swinhoe's snipe in simple terms?

Why does Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's 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 Swinhoe's snipe.