Australian Painted Snipe
Rostratula australis
IUCN status: Endangered
Flyway population 1500
Australian Population 1500
Plumage
Male Plumage: The crown and nape are mottled grey with a central white stripe. The feathers around the eye and the supercilium are buff, with the rest of head and neck are also mottled grey. The mantle and scapulars are blue-grey and mottled with white. The edge of the mantle has a buff “V”. The wing coverts are grey green with big buff spots that are edged with grey. The chin, throat and upper breast are mottled grey. Around the lower neck is a white line that is bordered by black. The lower breast, belly, flanks and vent are white. The bill is long and pale pinkish brown. The legs are pale olive-grey.
Female Plumage: The head, neck, the mantle, throat and upper breast are a rich maroon. The crown of the head has a central white stripe. The feathers around the eye and the supercilium are also white. The shoulders are greenish-brown mottled with black and white. The wing coverts are a glossy green and barred with black. The sides of the breast are black almost forming a breast bar. The rest of the underparts are white. The bill is long and pale pinkish brown. The legs are pale olive-grey.
Juvenile: Similar to the male plumage but the wing coverts are duller and tipped buff.
Confusing Species
None; though Latham’s Snipe might be confused when flushed.
Distribution
Distribution
Spread over a vast area of eastern Australia from the Eyre peninsula in South Australia through Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland to the Mount Isa region. It is commoner Victoria and New South Wales. It likes shallow wetland areas.
Migratory habits
This species moves seasonally, but is not an international migrant. It seems to move with the rains and move from the southernmost areas in the winter months.
Breeding
Breeds between August and February nesting in wetlands using a platform of plant material to lay its 2-4 eggs. This species is polyandrous ie. the female has many male partners leaving them to do the incubation for 24 days and tending the young.
Best Locations in Queensland to see Australian Painted Snipe
Note that frequencies are altered by twitching of reported sightings
| Location | Lists seen | Total lists | Percentage |
| Vernor Rd, Wivenhoe Pocket at -27.45865, 152.60027 | 101 | 166 | 60.8 |
| Black River Rd (from Aurora Rd to Gieseman Rd) | 27 | 51 | 52.9 |
| Lake Samsonvale–Kobble Creek BBQ Area | 26 | 425 | 6.1 |
| Jabiru Park/Fearnley hide (Lake Macdonald) | 53 | 951 | 5.6 |
| Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area (Arundel section) | 41 | 1367 | 3 |
| Sandy Camp Road Wetlands | 115 | 7319 | 1.6 |
| Hasties Swamp National Park | 33 | 3274 | 1 |
| Dowse Lagoon (Sandgate) | 36 | 3863 | 0.9 |
| Lake Samsonvale–Golds Scrub Lane (some areas restricted access) | 25 | 4115 | 0.6 |
References
- eBird. 2021. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org (Accessed: Date 12/4/2026)
- Rogers A, Fuller RA & Amano T (2023) Australia’s migratory shorebirds: Trends and prospects. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Queensland, Brisbane.
- Driessen, J., Kidd, L. R., Weller, D. R., Purnell, C., Maguire, G., Jaensch, R., and LeClair, S. M. (2025). Australian National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
- https://sproggies63.github.io/birding_apps/