Great Snipe in Norway 2025
Eager males attract females' attention performing a polyphonic mating song
Best time: mid-May to mid-June
Great Snipe males are amusing while performing their mating rituals. The show begins at the sunset when the groups of stocky waders gather on leks or breeding arenas, located in marshes and wet meadows. A Snipe obtains an erect pose, puffs its chest, fans out its tail, and starts its mating song represented by a series of rising and falling chirping and clicking sounds that can be heard at more than 300 m. Eager male snipes rattle, buzz, whistle, and even jump to attract females. Similar spectacles take place at night between mid-May and mid-June. Plenty of snipes may be observed at a traditional lek site around Levanger, near the Trondheimsfjord.
