The Antipodes snipe, also known as the Antipodes Island snipe, is an isolated subspecies of the Subantarctic snipe that is endemic to the Antipodes Islands, a subantarctic island group south of New Zealand in the Southern Ocean.
Taxonomy and etymology
The Antipodes Island snipe was first collected by Fairchild in 1887, and by Andreas Reischek in 1888. ==Description==
Description
The Antipodes Island snipe is similar to the nominate subspecies – the Auckland Island snipe – but differs in being darker above and with yellower underparts. ==Distribution and habitat==
Distribution and habitat
The snipe is endemic to the Antipodes group, which has a total surface area of . It has been recorded not only from the main Antipodes Island, but also from the much smaller Bollons, Archway and Inner Windward Islands. It inhabits the islands’ tussockgrasslands and herbfields, nesting under tussocks and Polystichum vestitum shield ferns. ==Behaviour==
Behaviour
Breeding Breeding is seasonal, with egg-laying beginning in mid to late August. The typical clutch size is two. Feeding The snipe have been recorded as feeding on a variety of invertebrates, including annelids, amphipods, isopods, arachnids and insects. ==Status and conservation==
Status and conservation
The population of the snipe is estimated at 8,000 birds. It has been classified as a range-restricted island endemic with a stable population. ==References==