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Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. |
The Golden Snidget was a small golden magical bird with fully rotational wings, best known for early use in the wizarding game of Quidditch, eventually being replaced by the Golden Snitch.[2][1]
History

The Golden Snidget
The Snidget was first introduced into Quidditch in 1269, when the newly appointed Chief of the Wizards' Council, a man named Barberus Bragge, released a Snidget during a Quidditch match and offered 150 Galleons to the player who could catch it. In protest of the barbaric treatment of the fragile bird, Madam Modesty Rabnott of Kent summoned the Snidget to her, fled the pitch, and released the bird into the wild. Nevertheless, the practise of releasing a Snidget during Quidditch matches continued, with the stakes changed to 150 points, rather than Galleons, awarded to the team of the player who caught the Snidget. Ultimately, use of Snidgets in Quidditch, and the popularity of the sport of Snidget-hunting, depleted the species considerably.[2]

A Golden Snidget used in Quidditch
About a century after Barberus Bragg's introduction of Snidgets to Quidditch, when it became apparent that the Snidget was close to extinction, Elfrida Clagg, then Chief of the Wizards' Council, declared it a protected species. The Snidget was classified as XXXX not because of being dangerous, but because severe penalties apply if it is captured or injured. Clagg also founded the Modesty Rabnott Snidget Reservation in Somerset, England, named in honour of Modesty Rabnott's early efforts at protecting Snidgets.[2]
The most notable factor in the protection of the Snidgets was the introduction of the Golden Snitch, invented by metal-charmer Bowman Wright, to the game of Quidditch.[2]
During the 1989–1990 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, sixth year students in Care of Magical Creatures class were taught about how to properly handle Golden Snidgets by Professor Silvanus Kettleburn.[3]
Physical description

Appearance of the Snidget
The Snidget was completely round, fat, covered in golden feathers, and has a long thin beak. Its eyes were bright red, and the rotational wings let the Snidget move in any direction with remarkable agility and speed. The Golden Snidget's feathers and eyes were so highly prized that it was at one time in danger of being hunted to extinction by wizards. The Snidgets were extremely fragile birds, as a human's grip can crush them to death. It had very small legs, making it look like an apodiform.[2][1]
Appearances
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (First appearance)
- Quidditch Through the Ages
- Pottermore
- Wizarding World
- Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Quidditch Through the Ages, Chapter 4 (The Arrival of the Golden Snitch)
- ↑ Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 39 (Gather the Merqueen's Tribute) - Care of Magical Creatures Lesson "Golden Snidget"
Care of Magical Creatures | |
---|---|
Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts | |
Hagrid's Hut · Forbidden Forest · Care of Magical Creatures classroom · Magical Creatures (club) | |
Professors | Silvanus Kettleburn · Rubeus Hagrid · Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank (substitute teacher) |
Textbooks | The Monster Book of Monsters · Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them |
Creatures studied at Hogwarts | |
Blast-Ended Skrewt · Bowtruckle · Chimaera · Crup · Diricawl · Doxy · Fairy · Fire Crab · Flobberworm · Fwooper · Glumbumble · Golden Snidget · Hippogriff · Imp · Jackalope · Knarl · Kneazle · Moke · Murtlap · Niffler · Porlock · Fire Dwelling Salamander · Streeler · Thestral · Unicorn |
Magical Creatures by classification | |
---|---|
X | Flobberworm · Horklump |
XX | Augurey · Bowtruckle · Chizpurfle · Clabbert · Diricawl · Fairy · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Imp · Jobberknoll · Mooncalf · Porlock · Puffskein · Ramora · Winged horse |
XXX | Ashwinder · Billywig · Bundimun · Crup · Doxy · Dugbog · Fire crab · Fwooper · Glumbumble · Hippocampus · Hippogriff · Hodag · Jarvey · Knarl · Kneazle · Leprechaun · Lobalug · Mackled Malaclaw · Moke · Murtlap · Niffler · Nogtail · Pixie · Plimpy · Pogrebin · Red Cap · Salamander · Sea serpent · Shrake · Streeler · Winged horse |
XXXX | Centaur · Demiguise · Erkling · Erumpent · Golden Snidget · Graphorn · Griffin · Hidebehind · Kappa · Kelpie · Merpeople · Occamy · Phoenix · Re'em · Runespoor · Snallygaster · Sphinx · Tebo · Thestral · Thunderbird · Troll · Unicorn · Winged horse · Yeti |
XXXXX | Acromantula · Basilisk · Chimaera · Dragon · Horned Serpent · Lethifold · Manticore · Nundu · Quintaped · Wampus cat · Werewolf |