Haematopus finschi
Silhouette: terngirl · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 Rakiura National Park on a given day, based on 246 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 80 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a South Island Pied Oystercatcher in Rakiura National Park on a given day, against about 10% in July and October–January, 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.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate South Island Pied Oystercatcher sightings, Rakiura National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand, about 40%), Fiordland National Park (New Zealand, about 20%) and Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the South Island Pied Oystercatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Rakiura National Park (246 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.
