The icing on the crakes

I’ve been searching for this bird since last spring, expecting it to appear at some stage … but never confident.

The Australian Painted Snipe Rostratula australis is one of Australia’s rarest and most endangered birds.

Described as … a stocky wading bird around 220–250 mm in length with a long pinkish bill. The adult female, more colourful than the male, has a chestnut-coloured head, with white around the eye and a white crown stripe, and metallic green back and wings, barred with black and chestnut. There is a pale stripe extending from the shoulder into a V down its upper back. The adult male is similar to the female, but is smaller and duller with buff spots on the wings and without any chestnut colouring on the head, nape or throat.

While it can be found in suitable wetland habitat across the continent it is more common in eastern Australia, with a population of probably no more than 5,000 individuals. The species is believed to have declined since the 1950s with the ongoing loss of wetlands, especially across its stronghold in the Murray Darling Basin. The ‘big wet’ across the Basin in 2022, which has now extended into 2023 has potentially triggered a successful breeding event and it is likely birds will now be dispersing.

This bird, an immature female (note the delicate barring on the flanks), was observed briefly yesterday at Bell’s Swamp Nature Conservation Reserve. I spotted it at the wetland edge, amongst the fallen branches of the fringing River Red Gums. It spotted me first (of course!) and flew a short distance before landing, its white belly, dangling legs and distinctive flight pattern on display. The Australian Painted Snipe has a preference for temporary wetlands, feeding on exposed mud and in shallow water and never far from cover. In my (limited) experience with the bird it is often associated with Lignum.

My last observations of this species were back in August 2011, when a small number of birds arrived on the Moolort Plains and remained until almost Xmas. Earlier this year a single bird was observed at Merin Merin Swamp near Clunes.

Australian Painted Snipe, Bell’s Swamp Nature Conservation Reserve, 5th July 2023

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After a year replete with crakes and rails I count myself very fortunate to have observed this superb wader once again.

Many thanks to local birder, Joel Bloom, for alerting me to its presence … and to Tavish Bloom for identifying it in the first place!