Bird identification?

[Grandadwasthatyou]

Spotted this bird ( dead unfortunately) this morning on the way to school. Dd was fascinated and asked what type of bird it is.
I have no clue except it must be a winter sea bird as we are on the coast.
Have looked online and originally thought a curlew but it's beak is much shorter and straighter.
Any ideas from bird aficionados so that I can tell her when I pick her up?

Oops. Forgot photo.

Whimbrel?

@BleuJay do you think the beak on my photo is shorter and straighter than a whimbrel?

It almost has a heron shaped beak. I have never seen this bird before.

Perhaps a Snipe.

I'm not sure the beak is long enough for a snipe.

Scan through these OP, I think it's probably one of them but a bit hard to be sure from the photo.

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sandpipers-snipes-phalaropes/

I'd say either a Snipe or a Woodcock. Looking at the size, probably the former.

Not quite sure what size it is, there are details for each of those birds on their own pages. Also the page I linked to is breeding plumage, some of them will have changed by now eg the Dunlin won't have that black belly spot now.

I would say woodcock not snipe judging by the pinkish colour of beak.
If you had the time you could report it to Defra for their bird flu in wild birds monitoring community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/birdflu/posts/recent-cases-of-avian-influenza

It was lying dead amongst the leaves about 100 yards from the sea front. Wasn't there when I walked back so somebody must have picked it up.
I was intrigued as I wouldn't normally associate that colour plumage with a sea bird.

Size wise much bigger than a blackbird but not as big as a magpie.

I vote snipe too

It's a Woodcock ( Perdix rusticola), many are migrants and arrive in the UK from Russia and Scandinavia, usually coinciding with the November full moon which was last Thursday. Their arrival (and collective noun) is a 'fall'

My mistake, its Latin name is Scolopax rusticola - perdix is the Grey Partridge!

Snipe I think.
I always thought the way to tell them apart is the stripes on the head. On a snipe they go front to back and on a woodcock they go left to right.

From the RSPB website:

Mmm.. looks like it could be a woodcock. But would it be near the seaside?

Ooh woodcock and snipe look very similar!

Looking at the belly plumage the picture of the snipe seems to have a white tummy.

Looks like a woodcock to me.

Yes they would be by the coast, they're both waders.
I realised both have similar face stripes so my theory on head stripes is useless as your photo doesn't show the top of the head!
I'm leaning towards woodcock actually because of the stomach colour like you say, although I'm not sure if winter plumage would change the colour.

And yes it would be near the sea as woodcock migrate for the winter and we are getting additional ones from Europe at the moment.

Woodcock actually mainly woodland and healthland birds even though they are waders.

Snipe usually marshland.

The barring on the breast indicates the is is a woodcock.

I was going to suggest Jack Snipe (shorter bill than a Snipe), but I think @Pepsipepsi has it with Woodcock. That is the only one that has horizontal banding across its breast like your photo.

Pics for comparison:
Snipe
Jack Snipe
Woodcock

Hmmm i actually think its a Dunlin!