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8

Australian Painted Snipe

(Rostratula australis)
Alternate name(s): "Painted Snipe"
Aboriginal name(s): "pulukuR" [tjapwurrung]

Size: 24-30 cm; wing span 50-54 cm
Weight: ca. 123 g (male); ca. 132 g (female)
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Australian Painted Snipe at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Near-lateral view of a male Australian Painted Snipe; note the prominent spots on the wings (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2020]

Near-lateral view of a male Australian Painted Snipe; note the prominent spots on the wings (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2020]

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian Painted Snipe (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian Painted Snipe (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian Painted Snipe, slightly different stance (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian Painted Snipe (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Australian Painted Snipe (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Near-dorsal view of two male Australian Painted Snipes (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Dorsal view of a male Australian Painted Snipe (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Dorsal view of a male Australian Painted Snipe; here one can see that this species has all-round vision
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

FEMALE

Lateral view of an adult female Australian Painted Snipe (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Near Terry Hie Hie, NSW, February 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a female Australian Painted Snipe (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Near Terry Hie Hie, NSW, February 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a female Australian Painted Snipe; the paucity of chestnut on the bird's head suggests that it may still be immature (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Australian Painted Snipes in flight (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[50 km West of Moree, NSW, March 2013]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of an Australian Painted Snipe; the emerging fine barring and the sparsity of spots on the wings, the dark lores and leading wing edge suggest that this may be a juvenile moulting into female plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Lateral view of an immature female Australian Painted Snipe, left, with a male on the right (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Lateral view of an immature female Australian Painted Snipe, back, with a male in front (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Near-dorsal view of an immature female Australian Painted Snipe (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kobble Creek, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

Behaviour

C. Hayne notes that Australian Painted Snipes have always been spotted in the presence of Red-kneed Dotterels. This may be due to similar habitat requirements.

Australian Painted Snipes in an ephemeral wetland (in this case a wet fallow field) (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Near Terry Hie Hie, NSW, February 2013]

Australian Painted Snipes in an ephemeral wetland (in this case a wet fallow field) (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Near Terry Hie Hie, NSW, February 2013]

Australian Painted Snipes on the edge of a wetland (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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