South Island Oystercatchers
| South Island Oystercatchers | ||||||||
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South Island Oystercatchers |
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Haematopus finschi | ||||||||
| Martens , 1897 |
The South Island Oystercatcher ( Haematopus finschi ) is a bird art from the family of oystercatchers (Haematopodidae). In New Zealand it is also called "SIPO" (South Island pied oystercatcher) by contracting the name.
description
The species has the typical appearance of an oystercatcher: a large wader with black and white plumage, a long red-orange beak and red legs. It differs from the New Zealand oystercatcher in that it has a white rump, more white on the wings and a dividing line between the black and white parts of the plumage, which is further forward on the chest. It differs from the Australian oystercatcher in that it has a longer beak and shorter legs and a tapering dividing line between black and white. It becomes 46 cm long, reaches a wingspan of 80–86 cm and a weight of 550 g.
The bird uses whistling calls for social contact and argument, a piercing alarm call, and a low flight call.
distribution and habitat
The South Island oystercatcher is endemic to New Zealand . Outside of the breeding season it usually forms schools with the New Zealand oystercatcher. It is one of the two more common species of oystercatcher in New Zealand. It breeds in the interior of the South Island , but afterwards most of the population moves to the estuaries and lakes of the North Island . Occasionally he is seen as a stray visitor on Norfolk Island , Lord Howe Island and on the east coast of Australia .
Its breeding area includes the intertwined river systems common in New Zealand , open pastures and agricultural areas, lake shores, subalpine tundra and herb meadows. Outside of the breeding season, it lives on estuaries, sea bays, beaches, sandy areas and mudflats.
nutrition
The species feeds mainly on mollusks and worms.
Reproduction
The nests are located in hollows dug out of the sand and contain two, rarely three brown, dark and light brown spotted eggs. The breeding season is 24–28 days with both sexes breeding. The young fled the nest and fledged six weeks after hatching.
Danger
The species is listed as "not endangered" in the IUCN Red List . However, the population was decimated by hunting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the species was placed under protection in 1940, the number of birds has increased again. In 2002 the total population was estimated at 110,000 specimens.
Web links
- Haematopus finschi . BirdLife International,accessed January 22, 2016.
- Gerard Hutching : Wading birds - Oystercatchers . In: Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , February 17, 2015, accessed January 22, 2016 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e S. Marchant, PJ Higgins, JN Davies (Eds.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 2: Raptors to Lapwings . Oxford University Press, Melbourne 1994. ISBN 0-19-553069-1
- ↑ Haematopus finschi . BirdLife International , accessed January 22, 2016 .