A compact, well-camouflaged wader with an exceptionally long bill. It occupies many types of wet ground, from damp meadows to saltmarsh. Usually hard to spot, it feeds by probing into soft mud, often staying close to reeds or grassy cover. It is often only noticed when it flushes at close range with a harsh, rasping call. During the breeding season it can be more visible, sometimes perching on fence posts. In display, birds dive from height and create a rhythmic, bleating sound as air passes through their spread tail feathers. In parts of Asia, take care to separate it from very similar Pin-tailed, Swinhoe’s, and Latham’s Snipes, which lack the white trailing edge to the wing and have a steadier, less erratic flight.