Snipe tend to be more active at dusk and dawn. During the day, they are easy to overlook as they sit still in the marsh vegetation. Their very long bill is used to probe for worms and other invertebrates deep in the mud. The tip of the bill can be opened independently of the rest of the bill so that the birds can grab tasty morsels from the mud. This is a feature called "rhynchokinesis." Note the tail projecting beyond the wings and no primary projection beyond tertials. These features help distinguish the Common Snipe from the otherwise similar Pintail and Swinhoe's Snipes, both of which also winter in India. This secretive species was formerly lumped with the Wilson's Snipe (G. delicata) of North America. However it differs in its courtship display flight, and the winnowing sounds made by its outer rectrices during courtship. It also differs slightly in plumage and has more and wider rectrices cf. Wilson's Snipe. Digiscoped with Panasonic DMC-LX5 | Nikon FieldScope III | 30XWA | hand-held (no adapter).
Reference:
Rasmussen, P.C. & Anderton, J.C. (2005) Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Vols. 1 and 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions, Washington, D.C. & Barcelona.