Common snipe, foraging in the reeds – Suffolk, England. The snipe's bill can be opened only at the tip, so that food can be picked up and swallowed without the bird having to remove its bill from the mud – part of an arrangement known as rhynchokinesis. In this way the Snipe’s bill tip can pinch a worm or insect larva in situ, and the long tongue (seen here) can then transport the food item up towards the mouth.