Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Australian Painted-snipe (Rostratula australis), recorded as Endangered
Australian Painted-snipe (Rostratula australis). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Australian Painted-snipe

Rostratula australis

The Australian painted-snipe is a medium-sized, long-billed, distinctively patterned wader.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Rostratula australis
Taxonomy
Aves · Charadriiformes · Rostratulidae · Rostratula

Appearance

The head, neck and upper breast is chocolate brown (in the male, dark grey with a buff median stripe on the crown), fading to rufous in the centre of the hindneck and merging to dark, barred grey on the back. A white stripe on the side of the breast and over the shoulders is diagnostic. The upperwing is grey (with buff spots in the male).

The length ranges from 24 to 30 cm, the wingspan from 50 to 54 cm, the weight from 125 to 130 g.

Range and habitat

The Australian painted-snipe is endemic to Australia, though its distribution is patchy and its presence in any particular area is unpredictable. A previous stronghold was the Riverina. It frequents shallow, freshwater wetlands with a thick cover of low vegetation, disappearing when conditions become unsuitable.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet and breeding

Breeding painted-snipe prefer temporary but recently flooded wetlands, with low cover for shelter, shallow water and exposed mud for feeding, and small islands on that to nest.

In crisis

As of 2022, the global population is estimated to be 270 – 410 mature individuals. Because of this very small population size, the species is listed as Endangered by the IUCN. In Australia it is classified as being nationally threatened with a rating of Endangered as of May 2013.

Australian Painted-snipe is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Australian Painted-snipe, Wikidata item Q1270108. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Also in this catalog

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Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Australian Painted-snipe?
The Australian painted-snipe is a medium-sized, long-billed, distinctively patterned wader.
What is the conservation status of Australian Painted-snipe?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Rostratula australis. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Australian Painted-snipe live?
The Australian painted-snipe is endemic to Australia, though its distribution is patchy and its presence in any particular area is unpredictable.
Why is Australian Painted-snipe in crisis?
As of 2022, the global population is estimated to be 270 – 410 mature individuals.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Rostratula australis?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Australian Painted-snipe a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.