Auckland snipe
| Auckland Island snipe | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Coenocorypha aucklandica by Hullmandel | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Scolopacidae |
| Genus: | Coenocorypha |
| Species: | C. aucklandica |
| Subspecies: | C. a. aucklandica |
| Trinomial name | |
|
Coenocorypha aucklandica aucklandica (Gray, 1844) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The Auckland Island snipe (Coenocorypha aucklandica aucklandica) is a small bird in the sandpiper family. It is the isolated nominate subspecies of the subantarctic snipe that is endemic to the Auckland Islands, a subantarctic island group south of New Zealand in the Southern Ocean.
The Auckland Island snipe was first collected in 1840 both by Charles Wilkes’ United States Exploring Expedition, and James Ross’ Erebus and Terror Antarctic expedition, with the British specimens forming the basis for George Gray’s 1844 description. The species name, and hence the subspecific epithet, refer to the type locality.
The subspecies is generally similar to others in the genus, being a small, brown, cryptically-patterned snipe with a long bill, short neck, tail and legs, and short, rounded wings. Females are slightly larger than males, weighing about 107 g compared with the males’ 82–94 g.
The snipe is endemic to the Auckland Islands, which has a total surface area of 625 km2. However, it is no longer present on main Auckland Island, but only on 100 km2Adams Island, Enderby Island, and the much smaller Disappointment, Ewing, Figure of Eight, Rose, Ocean and Dundas Islands. It inhabits the islands’ tussock grasslands, Olearia forest, shrubland and herbfields.
...
Wikipedia