North Island snipe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids North Island snipe |
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The North Island snipe was a special bird from New Zealand. It was also called the little barrier snipe or tutukiwi. This bird belonged to the sandpiper family. Sadly, it is now extinct, meaning there are no more of these birds left alive.
Contents
Understanding the North Island Snipe
How Scientists Studied This Bird
Scientists have found it tricky to study the North Island snipe. This is because there weren't many bird samples to look at. Sometimes, the information about where a bird was found was wrong. Also, some birds were identified incorrectly, which made things confusing.
In 1955, a scientist named Walter Oliver first described the North Island snipe. He thought it was a type of Subantarctic snipe. Later, scientists decided it was a completely separate species. They found old fossil bones of this bird on the North Island of New Zealand.
What Its Name Means
The scientific name of the bird is Coenocorypha barrierensis. The "barrierensis" part of its name comes from Little Barrier Island. This island was where the only known specimen (a preserved example) of the bird was found.
Where the Snipe Lived and Why It Disappeared
Past Homes of the North Island Snipe
The North Island snipe is now extinct. Long ago, it lived all over the North Island of New Zealand. Scientists have found old bones of these birds in many places there.
Why the Snipe Became Extinct
The North Island snipe disappeared from the main North Island after Polynesians arrived. These were the ancestors of the Māori people. They brought Pacific rats (Rattus exulans) with them. These rats were a big problem for the snipes.
The snipe managed to survive on at least one small island. This was Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf. It lived there until about 1870.
The Last Known Snipe
In 1870, a man named Captain Bennett saw two snipes on Little Barrier Island. He managed to catch one of them alive. Sadly, the bird later died. The other snipe got away. The captured bird was given to the Auckland Museum. This bird is the only example of the North Island snipe that still exists today.
What the North Island Snipe Looked Like
The North Island snipe looked similar to other snipes in its group. However, it had some unique features.
It was different from the South Island snipe in a few ways:
- It had more buffy-white feathers on its chin and throat.
- It did not have stripes on its lower belly.
- It had crescent-shaped marks on its upper belly.
- Its overall feather color was less reddish-brown.
See also
In Spanish: Chochita de Isla Norte para niños
