North Island Snipe
Encyclopedia
The North Island Snipe (Coenocorypha barrierensis), also known as the Little Barrier Snipe, is an extinct
species of bird
in the Scolopacidae, or sandpiper family
that was endemic to New Zealand
.
as a subspecies of the Subantarctic Snipe (Coenocorypha aucklandica), but has since been elevated to a full species, with fossil material from the North Island referred to it. The specific epithet and older common name refer to the type locality.
where subfossil remains have been found in several places. It became extinct on the mainland of North Island following the occupation of New Zealand by Polynesians
(the ancestors of the Māori people) and the associated introduction of Pacific Rats (Rattus exulans). It survived on at least one small island, Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf
, until 1870 where the type (and only existing) specimen was taken. According to Oliver, “About 1870 two snipe were seen on Little Barrier Island by Captain Bennett of the schooner Mary Ann. One was captured alive but died in captivity, the other escaped. The captured specimen was presented to the Auckland Museum by Mr T.B. Hill and is the basis of the following account.”
in the “greater area of buffy white on chin and throat, the absence of bars on the lower abdomen, the crescent-shaped markings on the upper abdomen and the less rufous general coloration”.
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
species of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Scolopacidae, or sandpiper family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
that was endemic to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Taxonomy and etymology
Examination of the taxonomy of Coenocorypha snipe has been hindered by lack of material, erroneous locality data, misidentified specimens and confused nomenclature. The North Island Snipe was described in 1955 by Walter OliverWalter Oliver
Walter Reginald Brook Oliver was an Australian-born New Zealand naturalist, ornithologist, malacologist and museum curator.Born in Launceston, Tasmania, Oliver emigrated with his family to Tauranga in 1896...
as a subspecies of the Subantarctic Snipe (Coenocorypha aucklandica), but has since been elevated to a full species, with fossil material from the North Island referred to it. The specific epithet and older common name refer to the type locality.
Distribution and extinction
The North Island Snipe is extinct. Its prehistoric distribution comprised the North IslandNorth Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
where subfossil remains have been found in several places. It became extinct on the mainland of North Island following the occupation of New Zealand by Polynesians
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
(the ancestors of the Māori people) and the associated introduction of Pacific Rats (Rattus exulans). It survived on at least one small island, Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km², and lies between the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island...
, until 1870 where the type (and only existing) specimen was taken. According to Oliver, “About 1870 two snipe were seen on Little Barrier Island by Captain Bennett of the schooner Mary Ann. One was captured alive but died in captivity, the other escaped. The captured specimen was presented to the Auckland Museum by Mr T.B. Hill and is the basis of the following account.”
Description
Oliver described the North Island Snipe as being generally similar to other Coenocorypha snipes. He added that it differed from the South Island SnipeSouth Island Snipe
The South Island Snipe , also known as the Stewart Island Snipe or Tutukiwi in Maori, is an extinct species of bird in the Scolopacidae, or sandpiper family that was endemic to New Zealand.-Taxonomy and etymology:...
in the “greater area of buffy white on chin and throat, the absence of bars on the lower abdomen, the crescent-shaped markings on the upper abdomen and the less rufous general coloration”.