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The Subantarctic snipe, sometimes also Auckland snipe or New Zealand snipe, is a species of snipe endemic to New Zealand's subantarctic islands. The Maori call it "Tutukiwi". The nominate race C. a. aucklandica is found on the Auckland Islands. Other subspecies include C. a. meinertzhagenae from the Antipodes Islands, and C. a. perseverance from Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku. The former subspecies from the Snares Islands has been separated as a full species, the Snares snipe, as have the extinct South Island and North Island snipes.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The Subantarctic snipe is a small wading bird with adults growing to about 23 cm (9 in) in length. It has cryptic brown plumage, sturdy legs and a slender beak about 5 cm (2 in) long. The head is striped in black and reddish brown and the body is brown, mottled with black and reddish brown.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in December · a summer visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Chatham Islands SnipeCoenocorypha pusillaThe Chatham Islands snipe, also known as the Chatham snipe, is a species of wader in the family Scolopacidae.
Snares SnipeCoenocorypha huegeliThe snipe is a small, chunky, and cryptically patterned wader with bars, stripes, and spots in shades of brown ranging from buffy-white to nearly black.
Learn the Subantarctic Snipe for real
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