Australian Painted-snipe
Rostratula australis
The Australian Painted-snipe (Rostratula australis) is a rare painted-snip found only in Australia, weighing about 121 g. The Australian painted-snipe is a medium-sized, long-billed, distinctively patterned wader.
About the Australian Painted-snipe
The Australian painted-snipe is a medium-sized, long-billed, distinctively patterned wader.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The head, neck and upper breast is chocolate brown (in the male, dark grey with a buff median stripe on the crown), fading to rufous in the centre of the hindneck and merging to dark, barred grey on the back. There is a cream comma-shaped mark around the eye. A white stripe on the side of the breast and over the shoulders is diagnostic. The upperwing is grey (with buff spots in the male). The lower breast and underbody are white. Males are generally slightly smaller and less bright than females. Juveniles are similar to adult males. No call has been recorded.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, July, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in December. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Australian Painted-snipe?
- The head, neck and upper breast is chocolate brown (in the male, dark grey with a buff median stripe on the crown), fading to rufous in the centre of the hindneck and merging to dark, barred grey on the back. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Australian Painted-snipe?
- The Australian Painted-snipe is a medium sized bird weighing about 121 g.
- Where can you see an Australian Painted-snipe?
- The Australian Painted-snipe is endemic to Australia, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to an Australian Painted-snipe?
- The Australian Painted-snipe is most easily confused with the Greater Painted-snipe.
- Is the Australian Painted-snipe endangered?
- The Australian Painted-snipe is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Australian Painted-snipe for real
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