Snares Island Snipe Coenocorypha huegeli Scientific name definitions

20–23 cm; 89–131 g; wingspan 30–35 cm. Small, plump, brown wader  , with extensive and dense barring across lower breast, flanks and, sometimes, most of belly; upperparts  finely barred and uppertail densely barred; bill  grey-black, with dark grey base and lower mandible tinged pinkish or brownish; upper mandible and cere brown-red, eyes black with grey-black orbital ring, legs of male pale yellowish to cream, or olive-grey in female. <em>C. huegeli</em> is only member of genus on Snares Is, thus unmistakable, but formerly conspecific C. aucklandica (see Taxonomy) is more strongly marked with cream and chocolate streaking, and is largely unbarred below. Juvenile is greyer above than juvenile C. aucklandica, with bill base greyer.

Snares Is (North-east and Broughton; recorded on Alert Stack).

Takes soil-dwelling invertebrates, especially earthworms, amphipods, adult beetles, and larvae and pupae of beetles and flies, mainly by probing in ground (sometimes inserting entire bill in soft soil), but occasionally prey is seized on surface. Analysis of faeces revealed following in diet: oligochaetes, amphipods (including Parorchestia, Makawe parva, Talorchestia patersoni, spiders and insects (including orthopterans such as Zealandosandrus subantarcticus, coleopterans such as Diglymma castigatum, Synteratus ovalus, Paracatops, Prodontria longitarsus, Synorthus insularis, Epichorius tumidellus, Cacephatus aucklandicus, Gromilus laqueorum, Nestrius laqueorum, Notacalles planidorsus, Phrynixus laqueorum, and dipterans such as Leptotarsus larvae). Most active early morning and at night. Forages by day among tussocks and clumps of grass, sedges, ferns and bryophytes, also along sides of rotting logs, and at night searches for food in open Callitriche antarctica and Crassula moschata.

Male has loud territorial call that comprises a series of vibrant monosyllabic notes that build into disyllabic whistles, heard throughout day in breeding season, more frequently at dusk and dawn, but rarely at night; females and males without territories rarely give such calls. Aerial display (not yet described or even witnessed) strongly suspected, on basis of tail-feather wear and postulated to perhaps only be performed towards end of breeding season. Soft calls, given by both sexes, e.g. when changing over at nest or with chicks, is a soft throaty “chur chur” or “churrrr churrrr”, which can be barely audible, and may sometimes be given by male immediately prior to loud calls. Female gives unique “chur” call, like soft calls of males, typically repeated 3–5 times. Also heard is a strident “chep” or “yip”, given at irregular intervals, both by day and at night, but function unknown, although always given from within dense cover. Chick utters a piercing “peeyoo”.

Lays early Nov to early Apr, with peak hatching in Feb. Monogamous (95%), sometimes polygynous. Solitary in territory; nests at relatively high densities, up to c. 4 pairs/ha. Strong natal philopatry. Nest  is natural depression in plant detritus or substantial, well-formed cups of Carex or Poa leaves among sedge or tussock, typically 9–13 cm wide and 1–10 cm deep, perhaps constructed by female alone, although site apparently selected by both adults. Clutch two eggs  (exceptionally three  ), laid at three-days intervals, very pale brown, fawn, olive or greeny brown with small spots and blotches of grey, red, brown and dark brown, size 39·1–46·4 mm × 30·4–33·1 mm, mass 21·1–26·7 g; single-brooded, though pairs renest after failure; incubation for pairs 22 days by both parents (almost equally, male mainly at night and during late afternoon), but with polygyny 37–39 days for mated female, starts when clutch complete; brood divided between parents, with male usually escorting first young to leave nest; chick  similar to those of Gallinago, but only dimly patterned, with inconspicuous white powder-puff tips, hatch weight 14–18 g; chick develops relatively slowly, and fed entirely by parents  for first 2–3 weeks; able to fly after 30 days; fully independent only after 65 (57–79) days. Pair-bond and territory usually re-form in next breeding season, irrespective of success. Up to 47% of males and 30% of females are excluded from breeding each year, but are tolerated within breeding territories. Each pair produces c. 0·6 fledglings/year. Typically breeds at one year old (especially females). Adult annual survival 83%; longevity probably exceeds 20 years; oldest ringed bird c. 17 years old. Adults are predated by skuas (Catharacta). A major El Niño event in 1982–1983 had dramatic effects on this species: the few snipe that bred in this season did so 24 days later on average, with successful breeding occurring in significantly fewer territories (20% versus 46–84%) and 3.1 times fewer young per territory fledged (0·4 versus 0·91–1·9), while adult mortality was estimated to be 2·5 times greater than the mean for the 1984 to 1987 winters.

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Population increasing in large part due to translocations and is currently thought to number between 1000 and 2500 mature individuals. Historically restricted to Snares Is (3 km²), where population currently considered to number c. 410 pairs, distributed at densities of up to 11·5 birds/ha or 3·8 pairs/ha, and is known to breed on Main (North-east) and Broughton Is, but has also been recorded on Alert Stack. A translocation occurred in 2005 to Putauhinu I, off SW coast of Stewart I, and this population had grown to at least 320 individuals by 2011 and then 500 birds by early 2013, while a second translocation of 30 individuals from the Snares Is to Codfish I/Whenua Hou took place in Jan 2013 and breeding has since been confirmed there.