Haematopus finschi
Silhouette: terngirl · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The South Island oystercatcher or South Island pied oystercatcher (Haematopus finschi) is one of two common oystercatcher species found in New Zealand. Its name is often contracted to the acronym "SIPO" (rhyming with "typo"). The indigenous Māori name is tōrea.
The South Island oystercatcher is easily identifiable as a pied oystercatcher – a large wader with striking black and white plumage, long red-orange bill, and red legs. It is distinguished from the pied morph of the variable oystercatcher by a white lower back, more white on the wing, and a demarcation line of black and white further forward on the breast, and from the pied oystercatcher of Australia by a longer bill and shorter legs, as well as the forward demarcation line of white on the back being pointed rather than square. It is 46 cm in length; its wingspan is 80–86 cm; it weighs 550 g.
The South Island oystercatcher is endemic to New Zealand where it breeds inland on the South Island, after which most... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Aoraki Mount Cook National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ōtorohanga Kiwi House | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a South Island Pied Oystercatcher sighting in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 25th most-seen of the 36 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a South Island Pied Oystercatcher in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January–July and October, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most South Island Pied Oystercatcher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate South Island Pied Oystercatcher sightings, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand, about 40%) and Fiordland National Park (New Zealand, about 20%).
Same order: Charadriiformes
The closest relatives of the South Island Pied Oystercatcher that you can see in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are Black-fronted Tern (about 60%), Dominican Gull (about 20%) and Masked Lapwing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the South Island Pied Oystercatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (32 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
