whole Europe, Asia with exception of the southern areas and North America is lived in by the Bekassine or swamp-snipe (Gallinago gallinago). its residences are bogs, moist valleys and wet, sparsely overgrown meadows. it is on well tried this environment. The brown speckled plumage of both sexes offers good camouflage, only the stomach-side is more brightly until whitish. With its long beak, it can poke in deep ground like with a tweezers after animal food. The short legs are showy. With a length of approximately 27 cm, it gains a weight of 100-150 g.
Flight Bekassinen are deft and fast planes. When flying up, they do several zigzag turns before they knock in the actual course.
Reproduction In the spring and also in the autumn, the males execute impressive Balzflüge over its brood-areas. they rise steeply as far as to a height of 100 m. They fly in the circle several times around, about itself, consecutively often with fast, jerky flaps here, suddenly headlong, with half-aimed swinging and wide-fanned out tail, 10-15 m deep down-rushes. On this occasion, the outer, extended tail-feathers are put into vibrations, that are interrupted by jerky flaps rhythmically. The tail-feathers became stiff in the shaft so that the airflow derived from the wings cannot bend it. These tail-feathers generate the known trillernd-meckernde sound, that heaven-goat brought the Bekassine the name. The nosedive lasts approximately 2 seconds, then, the bird rises again to the original height, about again herabzupurzeln.
From beginning of April, they set its nests on grass-tufts in the meadows, in swampy areas on easily increased, drier stains. The female hatches the nest existing usually from 4 eggs in approximately 20 days. The chicks can leave the nest directly after slipping and are airworthy and independent with 3-4 weeks.
Hibernation As migratory bird, the Bekassine begins its train into the hibernation-areas of Southern Europe and North-Africa as well as. to India and to the Malay islands from end July. The autumn-train is September and October mainly in our widths in the months. it spends the winter isolated also in climatically favorable brood-areas.
Relatives types Narrow relative with the Bekassinen and the doubles or means-snipe (Gallinago media) is to be distinguished only heavily from them. they preferentially less moist terrain, is slower and more ponderous in the flight. If it is startled, it flies linear and without tone-remarks from. The males find themselves perform courtship display together for itself during it to larger groups, with what it place-scatters away over years, can be. Takes place perform courtship display these only on the ground and is accompanied by prolonged reputations. The doubles-snipe broods from Northern Europe to means-Siberia.
Into the type of the swamp-snipes, 10 further types, that are widespread on all continents with exception of Australia, still belong. As a small Bekassine, the dwarf-snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) acts, who lives in the north of Europe and Asia. On its train in the Mediterranean-countries, one finds it occasionally also in Germany.
Endangering Because of its welfare-taste and the peculiarities of the hunt (snipe-line), but above all through the onward destruction of its habitat, drainage and intensive cultivation, all types of the Bekassinen like also many other snipe-birds became rare in our widths. The Bekassine (Gallinago gallinago) is on the red list of the strongly endangered types of animal today.
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