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The Chatham snipe or Chatham Island snipe (''Coenocorypha pusilla'') is a species of
In 1868 the Chatham snipe was collected by naturalist
BirdLife Species Factsheet
*Chatham Island snipe discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week
14 October 2016
Coenocorypha Birds of the Chatham Islands Birds described in 1869 Taxa named by Walter Buller Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Endemic birds of New Zealand {{charadriiformes-stub
wader
245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots
Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...
in the family Scolopacidae
Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. ...
.
It is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the Chatham Islands
The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...
of New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, and is only found on a few islands in the south of the Chatham Islands group.
Its natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s are temperate forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s and temperate grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...
.
Chatham snipe feed by probing into the ground in search of worms, amphipods, insects and larvae.
Scientific discovery
In 1868 the Chatham snipe was collected by naturalist Charles Traill
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
and was sent to ornithologist Walter Buller
Sir Walter Lawry Buller (9 October 1838 – 19 July 1906) was a New Zealand lawyer and naturalist who was a dominant figure in New Zealand ornithology. His book, ''A History of the Birds of New Zealand'', first published in 1873, was publishe ...
who described it as a new species of snipe. On an exploratory mission to the islands in 1871, Henry Travers
Travers John Heagerty (5 March 1874 – 18 October 1965), known professionally as Henry Travers, was an English film and stage character actor. His best known role was the guardian angel Clarence Odbody in the 1946 film ''It's a Wonderful Life' ...
only found the snipe on Mangere Island
Mangere Island (Moriori: ''Maung’ Rē'') is part of the Chatham Islands archipelago, located about east of New Zealand's South Island and has an area of . The island lies off the west coast of Pitt Island, south-east of the main settlement in ...
. Attempts to return snipe to main Chatham Island would be hampered by the presence of introduced mammals and of weka
The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen (''Gallirallus australis'') is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is the only extant member of the genus ''Gallirallus''. Four subspecies are recognize ...
, which are predators of snipe chicks.
References
External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet
*Chatham Island snipe discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week
14 October 2016
Coenocorypha Birds of the Chatham Islands Birds described in 1869 Taxa named by Walter Buller Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Endemic birds of New Zealand {{charadriiformes-stub