The woodcock (Latin: Scolopax rusticola) is a species of bird in the snipe family that breeds in the temperate and subarctic zones of Eurasia. It is a migratory bird in most of its range and leads a secretive nocturnal lifestyle. The main biotope is old moist deciduous or mixed forests with wastelands and copses. Usually leads a solitary lifestyle, although sometimes strays into small free groups. Object of sport hunting.
The Russian name has a German origin and is similar to the word Waldschnepfe (literally "forest sandpiper"). Dahl's dictionary also cites other synonyms of the bird's name, currently rarely used — the hog sandpiper, sluka, crechtun, birch, boletus and red sandpiper.
A rather large sandpiper, the size of a bluish pigeon, of dense build with a long straight beak. Body length 33-38 cm, wingspan 55-65 cm, weight 210-460 g. The color is patronizing — generally rusty-brownish, with black, gray or red mottling in the upper part of the body. The underside is somewhat paler - cream or yellowish-gray, with black transverse stripes. This color well camouflages the bird against the background of last year's foliage. The beak is straight, cylindrical in shape, can reach 7-9 cm in length [2]. The eyes are positioned high and noticeably shifted back — so that the all-round view increases to 360 °. There is a well-marked dark brown stripe between the base of the beak and the eye. There are also one light and two dark longitudinal stripes in the upper part of the head. The wings are wide and relatively short, the flight is similar to that of an owl. Sexual dimorphism is not pronounced, young birds differ from adults only by a subtle difference in the wing pattern. No other similar species are found within the natural range.
Usually a silent bird, with the exception of the mating season, when during the "pull" (current), the male on the fly emits soft grunting, rather euphonious sounds, called by hunters "horcking". 3-4 hoarse roulades usually end with a high two-syllable sound "qi-cik", audible at a distance of up to 300 m. Aerial pursuit of an opponent can be accompanied by a heart-rending cry of "plip-plip-piss" In such skirmishes, first-year males most often participate.
The cost of one-time permits for the extraction of hunting animals of standardized species and hunting permits for them (from October 08, 2021)
| View | Price, bel. rub. |
| One-time hunting trip for woodcock | 10,00 |
| Seasonal hunting trip for woodcock | 50,00 |