Painted snipe

Painted snipe are distinctive waders placed together in their own family Rostralatidae. They are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but much more brightly coloured.

The female is brighter than the male and takes the lead in courtship. The male incubates the eggs, usually 4, in a nest on the ground or floating for about 20 days.

Both species live in reedy swamps, and their food is worms and other invertebrates found with their long bills.

• The Greater Painted Snipe (Rostralata benghalensis) is found in marshes in Africa, India, South-east Asia and Australia.
• The Lesser Painted Snipe ( Nycticryptes semicollaris), inhabits grassy marshland in southern South America.