The South Island snipe, also known as the Stewart Island snipe or tutukiwi in Māori, is an extinct species of bird in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae that was endemic to New Zealand.
Region
New Zealand (South Island and Stewart Island region)
Typical Environment
Historically occurred on the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura, later persisting only on small predator-free offshore islets. It favored dense coastal forest, scrub, and tussocky bogs with soft soils for probing. The species foraged in leaf litter and damp ground, and nested on the ground under thick cover. By the 20th century it was confined to a few islands until invasive predators caused its final extinction.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 800 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the Stewart Island snipe or tutukiwi in Māori, this small, cryptic snipe was endemic to New Zealand and is now extinct. The last known population vanished in the mid-1960s after rats were introduced to Big South Cape Island (Taukihepa). Like other New Zealand snipes, it performed dramatic nocturnal display flights that produced the booming 'hakawai' sound.
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; low, fluttering flights; aerial display dives at night
Social Behavior
Generally solitary or in pairs during the breeding season. Nests were placed on the ground in dense cover, with a small clutch and strong parental care. Courtship involved nocturnal display flights and ground calling.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Usually quiet, giving soft chips and squeaks while foraging. During displays, produced the resonant 'hakawai' roar generated in steep aerial dives, interspersed with sharp ticks.
Plumage
Mottled and barred brown with buff and black patterning, providing strong leaf-litter camouflage.
Diet
Feeds primarily on invertebrates such as earthworms, beetles, larvae, amphipods, and other soil- and leaf-litter fauna. It probes soft ground with its long bill using tactile cues to detect prey. It also picks small prey items from the surface of damp litter and moss. Foraging is slow and methodical, often under dense vegetation.
Preferred Environment
Damp forest floors, boggy clearings, and tussocky margins where soil remains moist and penetrable. Frequently foraged along edges of wetlands and in sheltered leaf-littered hollows.
