The New Caledonian snipe (''Coenocorypha neocaledonica'') is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

austral snipe The austral snipes, also known as the New Zealand snipes or tutukiwi, are a genus, ''Coenocorypha'', of tiny birds in the sandpiper family, which are now only found on New Zealand's outlying islands. There are currently three living species and ...

, described from late

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

cave deposits on the French island of

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

in the western Pacific Ocean. The specific epithet is a latinisation of the name of its island home.

Description

Although austral snipe are small birds, the

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 ...

New Caledonian form was larger than all its congeners, with the exception of the

Viti Levu snipe The Viti Levu snipe (''Coenocorypha miratropica'') is an extinct species of austral snipe endemic to Fiji. A species of the mostly New Zealand genus ''Coenocorypha The austral snipes, also known as the New Zealand snipes or tutukiwi, are a g ...

(''C. miratropica''). Examination of its wing bones suggest that it was a relatively strong flier.

Extinction

The species became extinct within about 1000 years of human settlement of the island, probably as a result of predation by human introduced rats.

References

Fossil taxa described in 2013 Birds described in 2013 Coenocorypha Holocene extinctions Extinct birds of New Caledonia Taxa named by Trevor H. Worthy {{Paleo-bird-stub