A distinctive-looking passage migrant and winter visitor. The plumage is cryptically coloured to camouflage the bird while it spends long periods on the ground among wetland vegetation and in well-watered farm fields. With a scissor-like motion, it probes deep into soft mud with its remarkably long bill seeking worms and larvae. When disturbed, it flies up rapidly before dropping down again onto the ground and disappearing into thick cover.
