12 Snipe are drumming 🥁 And Common Snipe really do drum! This sound isn’t a call or a vocalisation, but a mechanical noise produced by their tail feathers. The two outer tail feathers are structurally different to other feathers, being stiffer and projected further away from the rest of the tail. As the Snipe swoops, the air rushing through these adapted feathers causes them to vibrate which creates this iconic drumming sound. Common Snipe live on wet grassland, marshes and moorland throughout