Coenocorypha iredalei (Rothschild, 1921:63)
South Island snipe, Stewart Island snipe, Iredale's snipe (proposed), Tutukiwi (Māori)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Coenocorypha aucklandica iredalei Rothschild, 1921: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 41: 63 – Jacky Lee Island, New Zealand.; Coenocorypha iredalei Rothschild; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 133, 174.
Conservation Status
Extinct
Last record: 1 September 1964
IUCN RedList status: Extinct
Distribution
Jacky Lee Island, Big South Cape Island, South Island & Stewart Island (all New Zealand)
Possibly also inhabited the South Island of New Zealand during historical times (Medway, 2007).
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
According to (Worthy et al., 2002:237):
MNZ 11146
MNZ 1522
MNZ 1523
MNZ 11206
Media
Five photos were taken by William Herbert Guthrie-Smith in November 1923 on Big South Cape Island, which are reproduced in (Miskelly & de Lange, 2006).
A photo of one of the last two captive birds in September 1964 by Don Merton: https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/south-island-snipe
Above: South Island Snipe / Tutukiwi. Coenocorypha iredalei. From the series: Extinct Birds of New Zealand., 2004, Masterton, by Paul Martinson. Purchased 2006. © Te Papa. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (2006-0010-1/52)
References
Original scientific description:
Rothschild, W. (1921). ["Coenocorypha aucklandica iredalei, subsp. nov."]. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 41: 63.
Other references:
Anonymous. (1964). List of rare birds, including those thought to be so but of which detailed information is still lacking. IUCN Bulletin 10(Special Supplement): 4 pp.
Bell, B. D. (1978). The Big South Cape Islands rat irruption. In: P.R. Dingwall; I.A.E.Atkinson; C. Hay (eds.) The Ecology and control of rodents in New Zealand Nature Reserves. Department of Lands and Survey. Wellington.
BirdLife International. (2014). Coenocorypha iredalei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. (www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 26 July 2014.
BirdLife International. 2016. Coenocorypha iredalei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22727515A94951415. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22727515A94951415.en. Accessed on 30 June 2022.
Blackburn, A. 1965. Muttonbird islands diary. Notornis 12: 191–207.
Checklist Committee (OSNZ). (2010). Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica (4th ed.). Ornithological Society of New Zealand & Te Papa Press, Wellington. [p. 191-192, 355]
Checklist Committee (OSNZ). (2022). Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand (5th edition). Ornithological Society of New Zealand Occasional Publication No. 1. Wellington: Ornithological Society of New Zealand. [p. 83]
Guthrie-Smith, H. (1936). Sorrows and joys of a New Zealand naturalist. Dunedin: Reed.
Harper, G. A. (2009). The native forest birds of Stewart Island/Rakiura: patterns of recent declines and extinctions. Notornis 56(2): 63-81.
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Medway, David G. (2007). A possible live South Island snipe (Coenocorypha iredalei) at Dusky Sound in 1773. Notornis 54: 237-238.
Merton, Don. (2004). The legacy of Big South Cape: forty years on. Titi Times: Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 14: 12-14.
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Miskelly, Colin M. (2013). South Island snipe. In: Miskelly, C. M. (ed.). New Zealand Birds Online. Available from: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz
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Miskelly, Colin M. and de Lange, Peter J. (2006). Notes on the breeding ecology of the extinct Stewart Island snipe (Notes on the breeding ecology of the extinct Stewart Island snipe (Coenocorypha aucklandica iredalei)). Notornis 53(4): 339-352.
Miskelly, Colin M., Charteris, M. R. and Fraser, J. R. (2012). Successful translocation of Snares Island snipe (Coenocorypha huegeli) to replace the extinct South Island snipe (C. iredalei). Notornis 59(1-2): 32-38.
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