Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus

A small snipe, with stripy and cryptic plumage. Similar in appearance to Common Snipe, but note shorter bill, dark crown without pale stripe down middle, and wide golden stripes or "braces" down the back. Found in fresh and brackish marshes, but rarely seen unless flushed, when usually flies up silently from almost underfoot and drops back down not too far away. Single birds feed quietly by probing in mud, usually near cover; walks with distinctive, near-constant bobbing motion.