The fact that the source is so difficult to locate only fuels its mystery. But look carefully skywards and you might be lucky enough to spot the distinctive, long-billed profile of one of our most secretive birds, the \u2018common\u2019 snipe. It is doing what is often called drumming.<\/p>\n
What is drumming and how loud is it?<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s a big sound that carries up to 0.8km \u2013 the all-pervading noise is out of proportion to the wader\u2019s diminutive size, which can make it difficult to pinpoint. The emanation, however, is not a \u2018song\u2019 in the usual sense of the word. No, the fabulously odd drumming is a sound reserved for the skies \u2013 it can only be produced in the air by mechanical means. Sounds made in this way are known as sonations to distinguish them from the more usual types of bird vocalisations.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> In common with many other birds, the snipe does also have a true voice, making a varied repertoire of croaks and grunts and a distinctive \u2018chip\u2026 per\u2026 chip\u2026 per\u2026 chip\u2019 song. These utterances, as in other species, are produced by the syrinx: a sophisticated collection of membranes under muscular control in the bronchi.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Should you manage to locate a snipe while it is drumming, you\u2019ll see its arrow-like body describe an ascending arc before it rapidly plummets at about 40\u201345 degrees; it is during this powered descent that the sound is produced. The delay of the sound reaching your ears can make syncing the physical actions and sound a little difficult. But if you have a \u2018sniper\u2019s\u2019 wits about you, you might be able to get your binoculars on the bird, and in a really good view you\u2019ll notice the strange form of its tail.<\/p>\n As it descends, the male sticks out its two outer tail feathers at near 90\u00b0 to its body, and when it reaches speeds of 50\u201385kph, they start to vibrate. The faster the bird dives, the higher the pitch of the sound created.<\/span><\/p>\n As it descends, the male sticks out its two outer tail feathers at near 90\u00b0 to its body, and when it reaches speeds of 50\u201385kph, they start to vibrate. The faster the bird dives, the higher the pitch of the sound created.<\/span><\/p>\n Recent research has shown that aeroelastic flutter produces the noise, a phenomena that is a self-feeding vibration, a function of interaction The pair of specialised sound-making feathers are stiffened, except for a zone of weakness along their length. This sets up a zone of flexion, which causes the trailing edge of each feather to flap backwards and forwards violently as air passes over it. Think of it like a flag flapping in the wind but at a higher frequency and you have the mechanism behind one of the most unique territorial display flights of any bird.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\nWhat do snipe look like when they drum?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
How do snipe drum?<\/h2>\n
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