Gallinago is a genus of birds in the wader family Scolopacidae, containing 17 species. This genus contains the majority of the world's snipe species, the other two extant genera being Coenocorypha, with two species, and Lymnocryptes, the jack snipe. Morphologically, they are all similar, with a very long slender bill and cryptic plumage. Most have distinctive displays, usually given at dawn or dusk. They search for invertebrates in the mud with a "sewing-machine" action of their long bills.