Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Coenocorypha
Species: C. aucklandica
Subspecies: C. a. perseverance
Trinomial name: Coenocorypha aucklandica perseverance
Common name: Campbell Island snipe
Coenocorypha aucklandica perseverance is a subspecies of snipe in the Genus: Coenocorypha. This bird was first discovered in 1997 on the rat-free, 19 ha Jacquemart Island, a rocky islet off Campbell Island.
After complete DNA analysis, this snipe subspecies was formally described by Colin Miskelly and Allan Baker in January 2010. The subspecific name alludes to the name of the sealing brig Perseverance, captained by Frederick Hasselborough, that discovered Campbell Island in 1810, and which probably inadvertently introduced Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus to the island when it was wrecked there in 1828/This snipe naturally recolonised the Campbell Island which is an 11,268 ha hectare pest-free island after rats were eradicated in 2001.
This Subantarctic snipe is a small wading bird with adults growing to about 23 cm in length. It has cryptic brown plumage, sturdy legs and a slender beak about 5 cm long. The head is striped in black and reddish brown and the body is brown, mottled with black and reddish brown. It seldom flies and is relatively tame and nests on the ground. It favours areas of dense ground cover and feeds on a range of invertebrates. It has a characteristic courtship display which takes place at night when males make vertical dives from considerable heights. Nesting takes place at different dates between August and January.
Photo courtesy of Tamzin Henderson @ https://www.tamzinnz.com/blog/2017/7/19/the-subantarctic-part-4-of-4-campbell-island-and-the-journey-home
Maps showing the location of Campbell Island and the islet of Jaquemart which is 1 km offshore.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
