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Recordings
Scientific Name
Gallinago gallinago
Arabic Name
الشنقب الشائع
Kuwaiti name
إرهيز
Family
Width
45.0 cm
Length
26.0 cm
Similar species
Information
Common passage migrant and uncommon winter visitor. Often seen in marshy wetlands and flooded farmland. Its escape flight is a distinctive zig-zag ascent to the sky.
Where in Kuwait
The species is a superbly camouflaged bird and is generally crepuscular in its activities. Normally it will sit quietly and undetected until it feels threatened and will then flush. It is found predominantly on brackish pools and marsh land in the Jahra area, but is also found in farmlands.
In the world
This species has an extremely large range with a large global population that is fully migratory. In its wintering range the species frequents similar habitats to those it breeds in. The species suffers from lead poisoning as a result of ingesting lead shot deposited on wetlands. Using its greatly elongated bill, this species probes under the moist substrate for its insect, earthworm, crustacean or spider prey. It is also regularly hunted for food and sport, with over a million birds killed annually in Europe and around half a million in the United States.
Local threats
Indiscriminate shooting and loss and degradation of habitat.