The Rostratulidae, commonly known as the painted-snipes, are a family of wading birds that consists of two

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

: '' Rostratula'' and '' Nycticryphes''.

Description

The painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but their

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

is much more striking. There is sexual dimorphism in both size and plumage, with the males being duller overall and smaller. All three species have large forward pointing eyes.

Phylogenetics

The family Rostratulidae encompasses two genera and four species, one of which is extinct. Painted-snipes superficially resemble true snipes, but the two taxa are not closely related. Instead the similarity can be attributed to convergent evolution where both groups have been subjected to similar selective pressures, thus promoting the evolution of analogous features such as a long slender bill and legs, mottled

cryptic Cryptic may refer to: In science: * Cryptic species complex, a group of species that are very difficult to distinguish from one another * Crypsis, the ability of animals to blend in to avoid observation * Cryptic era, earliest period of the Earth ...

plumage and characteristic body proportions. While less similar in general morphology, the species that are most closely related to painted-snipes are other members of the suborder '' Thinocori'': jacanas, seedsnipes, and the plains wanderer.del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. (editors). (1996). ''

Handbook of the Birds of the World The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...

.'' Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions. The species †''Rostratula minator'' was described in 1988 from deposits of the early Pliocene found in Langebaanweg, South Africa. This is the first fossil attributed to the family Rostratulidae. Comparisons of bone measurements with ''R. minator'' and the

extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...

species show that it was intermediate in size, although considerable differences indicate that it may only be an endemic African species that has become extinct, rather than a direct ancestor of '' R. benghalensis''. The Australian painted-snipe was described as ''Rostratula australis'' by John Gould in 1838, although later lumped with the similar greater painted-snipe, ''R. benghalensis'' as subspecies ''R. b. australis''. However, morphological and genetic differences have resulted in the species being restored in recent years.Baker AJ, Perreira SL, Rogers DI, Elbourne R and Hassell CJ (2007) Mitochondrial-DNA shows that the Australian Painted Snipe is a full species, Rostratula australis. Emu 107: 185-189
/ref> Such a similarity between the two species can be explained by a recent evolutionary divergence, and is an example of allopatric speciation where the prevention of

gene flow In population genetics, gene flow (also known as gene migration or geneflow and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent a ...

by geographical isolation has resulted in an accumulation of differences by genetic drift and differing selective pressures.

Taxonomy

Family Rostratulidae: painted-snipes

Behaviour

All three species of painted-snipe generally inhabit reedy

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s and marshes, usually in lowlands. Outside of the breeding season painted-snipes are generally solitary in habits. Painted snipes are

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylig ...

or even slightly

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

in their habits.

Feeding

Painted-snipes are omnivorous, feeding on invertebrates and seeds. Animal prey taken includes

annelid The annelids (Annelida , from Latin ', "little ring"), also known as the segmented worms, are a large phylum, with over 22,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to various ecol ...

worms, snails, aquatic and marsh insects, and crustaceans. The seeds of grasses such as millet and rice are also consumed, and may form a major part of the diet of some populations.

Breeding

The breeding biology of the painted-snipes varies according to genus; the ''Rostratula'' painted-snipes are generally polyandrous whereas the South American painted-snipe is

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of Dyad (sociology), dyadic Intimate relationship, relationship in which an individual has only one Significant other, partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (Monogamy#Serial monogamy, ...

. The females of the genus ''Rostratula'' will bond with several males during a breeding season, but once the eggs are laid the males provide all the incubation and parental care. The nest of both species is a shallow cup, often built on a platform of vegetation. Clutch sizes range from 2–4 eggs, which are incubated for 15–21 days.

Conservation

At present two species, the South American and greater painted-snipes, are not considered threatened by human activities; however, the Australian painted-snipe has declined and is considered endangered in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

.Lane, B.A.; & Rogers, D.I. (2000). "The Australian Painted-snipe, ''Rostratula (benghalensis) australis'': an Endangered species?". '' Stilt'' 36: 26–34

References

External links

Painted-snipe videos
on the Internet Bird Collection

Vocal calls of painted snipe
on Xeno-canto {{Taxonbar, from=Q494623 *