that pic I have on flickr is a snipe. the word sniper comes from that bird. I think it is from brits shooting snipes.
ok I googled it and yes it comes from brits shooting snipes so yes it is a real bird
The word Sniper comes from a play on words by British soldiers in India as early as 1773. Here troops hunted the Snipe, a small, quick bird that was difficult to shoot. Successful shooters were dubbed Snipers. However the true Sniper as we know him today was developed by the German Army of WW1.