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Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii)

Latham's Snipe is a cryptic, migratory wader that breeds in Japan and far eastern Russia, then spends the non-breeding period mainly in wetlands and damp habitats across eastern and south-eastern Australia. It is listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act, and clearing, altered wetland hydrology, drought, fire and disturbance can remove or degrade feeding and roosting habitat on development sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Vulnerable.

Tasmania, Threatened Species Protection Act 1995: Vulnerable.

Australian Capital Territory, Nature Conservation Act 2014: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Timing varies between years with rainfall, food availability and conditions along the migration route. The pattern below describes the usual Australian cycle, with the species generally present from late July or early August until late February or early March.

Survey timing should be adjusted for local rainfall and water conditions. Ephemeral wetlands may become suitable outside the usual seasonal pattern.

  • Breeding: Breeding display occurs mainly from April to June in Japan, with activity declining by early July. Australian sites are generally outside the breeding range.
  • Young: Young are produced in the northern breeding range and migrate south with the population. The supplied documents do not provide a precise fledging or dependence period.
  • Movement and migration: Most birds leave south-eastern Australia by late February or early March. Northward movement occurs from February to April, while southward arrival in Australia begins in late July or early August and continues through spring.
  • Present in Australia: The usual Australian non-breeding period extends from late July or early August to late February or early March. Some birds may remain during the southern winter, particularly immature or poor condition birds.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and disturbance are most likely to harm the species when birds are present in Australian wetlands, especially during the August to December arrival and establishment period and while birds use feeding and roosting habitat through summer.

Identification

Latham's Snipe is a medium-sized, heavily patterned wader with a long, straight bill and a conspicuous pale belly. It is difficult to detect because it rests in dense cover and often feeds at night, but a flushed bird usually gives a distinctive zig-zagging flight.

Adults are intricately marked with rufous, black and buff. The crown and upperparts are darkly patterned, the face has a bold dark eye stripe and pale supercilium, and the underparts are whitish with dark barring on the flanks. The bill is long and straight, the wings are short, broad and pointed, and the tail is rufous with a dark subterminal band and a broad white tip.

The sexes are similar in plumage and there is no marked seasonal change in adult plumage. Females are slightly larger in bill and tarsus measurements, while adult males generally have longer tail feathers. These differences are not reliable for routine field identification.

Length: 29 to 33 cm

Wingspan: 50 to 54 cm

Weight: 150 to 230 g

Identification: Separating features

The long bill, pale or white belly, strongly barred flanks, intricate rufous and buff upperparts, and rapid zig-zagging escape flight are useful field features. In Japan it is reported to be paler than other snipe species, but comparisons should be made cautiously in Australia because several snipe species may occur in similar wet habitats.

Latham's Snipe is commonly flushed from dense wetland cover rather than found standing in the open. A rapid, low flight followed by a sharp call can be the first indication of presence.

  • Check for the long straight bill and conspicuous pale belly when the bird is perched or flushed.
  • Record the escape flight direction and landing cover because the bird may return to dense vegetation nearby.
  • Do not rely on body size alone, as plumage and flight behaviour provide more useful field characters.

Identification: Calls and breeding signs

The main Australian call is described as a quick, explosive 'chak' or 'zhak'. Other calls include short croaking notes. During the breeding season, males perform circular display flights and dive with a loud, windy noise produced by air passing over the spread tail feathers.

The nest is a shallow, plate-shaped structure on the ground in a hollow at the base of a bush or within dense grass. It may be made by crushing sedge and other grass, with vegetation forming a cover over the nest. Tracks and scats are not identified as reliable survey signs in the supplied documents.

Typical clutch: Generally 4 eggs

Nest location: On the ground, in a hollow at the base of a bush or in dense grass

  • Listen at wetland edges and dense cover for the explosive call, particularly when a bird has been flushed.
  • Search carefully for a ground nest only where breeding birds are suspected, and avoid trampling dense grass, sedge or rush cover.
  • Treat repeated flushing as a disturbance risk and withdraw from the area after confirming presence.

Distribution: Australian range

Latham's Snipe breeds mainly in northern Japan, with additional breeding areas in far eastern Russia. In Australia it is a non-breeding migrant concentrated in eastern and south-eastern regions, although records extend well outside the core range.

The species has been recorded along the east coast from Cape York Peninsula through Queensland and New South Wales to Victoria, Tasmania and south-eastern South Australia. It extends inland across the eastern tablelands and into parts of inland New South Wales west of the Great Dividing Range. Occasional records occur further west, including north-western New South Wales.

Most birds spend the non-breeding period at sites south of the Richmond River in New South Wales. Birds arrive in northern Australia from late July or early August and generally move south through coastal and inland wetlands.

Estimated extent of occurrence: 3,430,000 km2

Estimated area of occupancy: 13,000 km2

  • Queensland: coastal and inland wetlands, including the northern arrival zone and south-east Queensland.
  • New South Wales: the main Australian concentration is south of the Richmond River, with records across coastal areas, the tablelands and some inland wetlands.
  • Australian Capital Territory: lowland urban wetlands, farm dams, creek areas, lakes and highland swamps.
  • Victoria: south-eastern wetlands, including wetlands used during movement between New South Wales and Tasmania.
  • Tasmania: wetlands and other suitable damp habitats, including the northern and eastern parts of the island.
  • South Australia: mainly south-eastern records and occasional records beyond the core range.

Distribution: Known concentrations and population trend

The species is dispersed and does not usually form the large, predictable flocks typical of many migratory shorebirds. In the ACT, regularly used sites with higher counts include Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve, Horse Park Drive Wetland and West Belconnen Pond, with smaller numbers recorded at Mulligans Flat dams and other wetlands.

Australian counts are incomplete because many birds remain undetected. Available evidence indicates a decline, with drought, fire and wetland loss affecting the population. The NSW assessment inferred a reduction of more than 30 percent over three generations, possibly as high as 42 percent, while an Australian analysis estimated a mean annual change of minus 3.8 percent from 1993 to 2021.

Hokkaido breeding estimate: 20,300 birds in May 2020

Additional Sakhalin estimate: 3,400 to 11,000 birds

Australian trend estimate: Mean change of minus 3.8 percent per year from 1993 to 2021

Three generation decline: More than 30 percent, possibly up to 42 percent

  • Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve recorded 27 to 49 birds in annual counts from 2015 to 2018, 30 birds in December 2018 and 146 birds in September 2022.
  • Important habitat for Latham's Snipe includes sites previously identified as internationally important for the species or sites supporting at least 18 individuals.
  • Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve and Horse Park Wetlands are identified as nationally important wetlands in the ACT.

Habitat: Wetland types

Latham's Snipe uses a wide range of wet and damp habitats, provided there is shallow water or soft mud for feeding and dense, low vegetation for cover. It can occur in natural, modified and urban wetlands, including sites close to active development.

Preferred Australian habitat includes open freshwater wetlands with low, dense vegetation. The species also uses saline or brackish wetlands, saltmarshes, creek edges, urban water bodies, drainage ditches, farm dams, pasture, crops and wet areas near roads, railways, airfields and industrial sites.

In the ACT, recorded habitat includes small ephemeral soaks and farm dams, larger ephemeral wetlands, urban lakes, highland swamps and wetlands associated with creeks and floodplain areas.

  • Retain shallow inundation, soft mud and low dense vegetation together rather than managing these habitat features separately.
  • Inspect wet depressions, drainage lines, farm dams, wet grassland and vegetated margins even when they are outside mapped wetlands.
  • Include modified and artificial wetlands in pre-clearing assessments because the species can use them.

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

Useful cover includes sedges, grasses, lignum, reeds, rushes, dense tea-tree and other low vegetation. Birds may also use open woodland and high-altitude grassland or herbland when these areas are close to surface water.

The habitat must provide both sheltered daytime roosting locations and nearby shallow, soft substrate for feeding. Changes to vegetation height, density, water depth and wetland margins can make a site unsuitable even if some water remains.

Recorded altitude in the ACT: Ginini Flats records occur at about 1,600 m

Key structure: Low, dense vegetation beside shallow water or soft mud

  • Map dense vegetation beside shallow water, mudflats, creek edges and drainage features as potential habitat.
  • Avoid removing wetland edge cover during construction unless the habitat has been assessed and an approved mitigation plan is in place.
  • Assess temporary wetlands after rainfall because ephemeral sites can provide suitable habitat even when they are not permanently inundated.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding method

Latham's Snipe probes soft mud or very shallow water with its long bill. It often feeds at night, in the early morning or evening, and may leave daytime roosts to forage across a wider wetland area.

The species is omnivorous. Animal food includes insects, especially flies and beetles, earthworms, spiders, and occasional molluscs, isopods and centipedes. Plant food includes grass seeds and other plant material, including material from sedges, grasses, rushes, knotgrasses, buttercups and legumes.

Feeding involves repeated vertical probing into soft mud, sometimes described as a sewing machine action. Aquatic beetles were the largest component in one Australian faecal analysis, with beetle and fly adults and larvae, caddisfly larvae, water mites and grass seeds also recorded.

Main feeding period: Night, early morning and evening

Feeding substrate: Soft mud or shallow water

Recorded important prey: Aquatic beetles and their larvae, flies, caddisfly larvae, water mites, earthworms and spiders

  • Protect soft, wet mud and shallow inundated substrate from compaction, sealing, sediment deposition and excessive turbidity.
  • Retain wetland vegetation that supports invertebrate prey while keeping some open muddy or shallowly flooded feeding patches.
  • Schedule night works, lighting and noisy activities away from occupied feeding habitat where practicable.

Foraging habitat: Use of surrounding habitat

Birds may roost in small wetlands during the day and disperse after dusk to forage over larger areas. A project footprint that contains no obvious daytime birds may still overlap their feeding habitat.

The supplied documents do not provide a standard foraging distance or home range. Assessment should therefore include connected wetland areas, shallow drainage features and nearby damp pasture or crop habitat rather than relying only on the location where a bird was flushed.

  • Survey both daytime sheltering areas and nearby shallow feeding areas.
  • Trace wetland connections and drainage changes beyond the construction boundary.
  • Treat repeated night-time detections as evidence that the wider wetland complex is being used for foraging.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

Latham's Snipe breeds in northern Japan and far eastern Russia, not in the usual Australian non-breeding range. Australian projects can still affect the species by removing or degrading habitat needed for migration, feeding and survival before the birds return north.

Breeding habitat includes open riverbeds and lowlands with dry reed and sedge fields, bamboo grass fields, meadows and cropland with low shrub cover. Some breeding areas contain remaining woodland or shrub cover, which may provide additional nesting structure.

Males display over breeding territories in circular flights, producing a loud noise with the tail. Nests are placed on the ground in a hollow at the base of a bush or in dense grass, usually near marshland.

  • Do not infer that an Australian site is a breeding site solely from a summer record, because most Australian records relate to the non-breeding period.
  • If breeding behaviour is suspected overseas or in an unusual Australian record, establish a quiet buffer around display and nesting habitat under the relevant approval conditions.
  • Retain dense ground vegetation and avoid trampling or vehicle access through suspected nesting areas.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding range: Northern Japan, including Hokkaido and parts of Honshu, and far eastern Russia including Sakhalin and nearby areas

Display period: Usually April to June, declining and mostly ending by early July

Clutch size: Generally 4 eggs

Nest: A plate-shaped ground nest in a hollow at the base of a bush or in dense grass

Incubation: Not reported in the supplied documents

Age at maturity: Not reported in the supplied documents

Lifespan: Not reported in the supplied documents

Sheltering habitat: Roosting cover

During the Australian non-breeding period, Latham's Snipe usually shelters on the ground in or beside dense vegetation near feeding habitat. It can remain hidden during daylight and may only be detected when flushed or during targeted dusk and night searches.

Roost sites include clumps of sedges, grasses, reeds and rushes, dense tea-tree, forest edges, drainage ditches, plough marks, boulders and shallow water where other cover is unavailable. Birds may roost singly or in small aggregations, and may also use urban lakes, saltmarshes, creek edges, crops and pasture.

Roosting and feeding areas can be close together, but birds may leave the roost after dusk to forage across a larger area. Both habitat functions should be retained when planning clearing or construction.

Roost position: On the ground, near or sometimes within foraging areas

Known roost cover: Sedges, grasses, lignum, reeds, rushes, tea-tree, forest, drainage ditches, plough marks, boulders and shallow water

  • Search dense ground cover beside shallow water before vegetation removal, slashing or access track construction.
  • Inspect drainage ditches, wheel ruts, plough marks, boulder margins and wet pasture as potential sheltering sites.
  • Keep people, dogs, vehicles and machinery out of occupied roosting cover, especially during daylight when birds are concealed.

Sheltering habitat: Detection and site protection

There is no documented den, burrow, hollow or fixed roost size for this species. Because birds are cryptic and dispersed, absence during a brief daytime inspection does not demonstrate that a site is unused.

Sites that support at least 18 individuals meet the important habitat threshold used for Latham's Snipe. Smaller sites can still function as feeding, roosting or movement habitat and should be assessed in relation to the surrounding wetland complex.

Important habitat threshold: At least 18 Latham's Snipe, or a site previously identified as internationally important for the species

  • Use repeated observations across suitable weather and water conditions where the project may affect wetland habitat.
  • Record the location of every flushed bird, its landing point and the vegetation or substrate used.
  • Protect both the occupied patch and the hydrology that maintains nearby shallow mud and dense cover.

Threats: Clearing and hydrology

The main project risks are loss or alteration of wetlands, disturbance of concealed roosting birds, and changes to water levels and vegetation. Impacts can occur outside the area where birds are seen because feeding and roosting areas may be connected across a wetland complex.

Drainage, filling, diversion of water, altered runoff and urban development can remove wetlands or change water depth, vegetation and soft feeding substrate. Development can also increase stormwater flows, sediment, nutrients, pollutants and contaminants entering nearby wetlands.

Loss of stopover wetlands in northern Australia can reduce refuelling opportunities before birds reach their non-breeding areas. Loss of south-eastern wetlands can remove the feeding and roosting habitat used before northward migration.

  • Avoid clearing dense wetland edge vegetation, shallow mud, wet depressions and connected drainage features.
  • Prevent construction runoff, sediment, concrete washout, hydrocarbons, nutrients and other contaminants from entering occupied or connected wetlands.
  • Assess changes to flow paths, water depth, inundation duration and groundwater or surface water inputs before earthworks begin.
  • Do not assume that a constructed basin will replace a natural wetland unless its habitat function, water regime and management are demonstrated.

Threats: Fire, drought and vegetation change

Extreme drought and large fires in 2010 and 2019 to 2020 were associated with sudden population reductions. About 12 percent of Latham's Snipe habitat burned during the 2019 to 2020 bushfires.

Drought reduces wetland availability, food resources and roosting cover. Mowing during summer, high intensity grazing, compaction, turbidity and vegetation changes can also make habitat unsuitable.

  • Avoid mowing or slashing occupied wetland cover during the Australian non-breeding period unless the action is part of an approved habitat management program.
  • Manage fire risk without removing all dense wetland cover or drying the wetland through drainage.
  • Control livestock access where trampling, compaction, turbidity or loss of dense vegetation is occurring.

Threats: Disturbance, roads and predators

People, cattle, dogs and machinery can flush birds from roosts and interrupt feeding. Development related noise, lighting and runoff are identified risks near ACT wetlands. Roads, railways, airfields and industrial areas may also expose birds to repeated disturbance.

Cats and foxes are identified as disturbance and predation risks in the ACT. The supplied documents do not identify a species specific disease threat.

  • Keep construction access, stock, dogs and recreational activity away from occupied roosts and shallow feeding areas.
  • Use directional, low spill lighting and avoid lighting wetland edges at night.
  • Control domestic and feral cats and foxes around important wetlands in accordance with the project management plan.
  • Plan vehicle routes to avoid wetland margins, drainage lines and dense cover where birds may be sheltering.

Survey methodology: 1. Map habitat and survey conditions

Latham’s Snipe is a secretive, dispersed wetland bird that usually occurs singly or in small groups. Surveys should focus on shallow wet areas with low, dense cover, soft mud and suitable roosting cover, including ephemeral wetlands, farm dams, urban wetlands, drainage lines and wet grasslands.

Inspect all areas that could be affected by clearing, earthworks, drainage, water diversion, noise or lighting.

Map shallow freshwater, saline or brackish wetlands, wet depressions, farm dams, drainage ditches, creek edges, saltmarsh, wet grassland and areas of dense sedge, grass, lignum, reed or rush cover.

Include nearby roosting cover because Latham’s Snipe may roost singly or in small aggregations during the day and disperse over larger areas to feed after dusk.

Give priority to wetlands that retain shallow water or soft mud after rainfall, as birds move in response to rainfall and food availability.

Typical body length: 29 to 33 cm

Typical wingspan: 50 to 54 cm

Typical weight: 150 to 230 g

Important habitat threshold: An area supporting at least 18 Latham’s Snipe is important habitat under the cited Commonwealth criteria

Survey methodology: 2. Targeted dawn, dusk and night searches

Search suitable feeding areas at dawn, dusk and during the night, when the species feeds in soft mud or very shallow water.

Use quiet, slow searches along wetland edges, shallow inundated areas, creek margins, drainage lines and dense wet vegetation.

Use a stationary observation period at suitable foraging locations, followed by a careful area search through adjacent cover where safe and permitted.

Record birds that flush from cover, but do not repeatedly flush birds to confirm presence.

Southward arrival in northern Australia: As early as late July to early August

Arrival in south-eastern Australia: August to November

Usual departure from south-eastern Australia: Late February to early March

  • Conduct surveys during the Australian non-breeding period, with particular attention from late July to early August when birds begin arriving in northern Australia, from August to November when they reach south-eastern Australia, and before most birds depart in late February or early March.
  • Repeat surveys when habitat condition changes after rainfall, inundation, drought, fire or major vegetation works.
  • Survey all suitable habitat within and immediately adjoining the disturbance footprint, including habitat connected by drainage lines or wetland complexes.
  • Record survey date, start and finish time, weather, recent rainfall, water depth or inundation, vegetation structure, observer effort, detection method and the number and location of birds.

Survey methodology: 3. Spotlighting, flushing and detection limits

Use a brief spotlight search shortly after dusk where safe access is available, because Latham’s Snipe can feed at night and may be detected in open wet areas or along muddy margins.

Use low disturbance observation before any flushing search, then walk suitable habitat carefully if a flush search is needed.

Treat a single call, flush, track or uncertain sighting as a record requiring verification where practicable, because the species is cryptic and dispersed.

Do not use playback as a primary method because the supplied survey guidance reports unsuccessful playback trials for the closely related Australian Painted Snipe and provides no validated playback method for Latham’s Snipe.

  • Use thermal or night vision equipment only where it can be operated safely and lawfully and without causing excessive disturbance.
  • Do not enter deep, unstable or contaminated water, and do not spotlight from roads or active work areas without a traffic and safety control.
  • If the site is flooded, heavily vegetated or inaccessible, document the limitation and use safe vantage points around the wetland perimeter.
  • Do not apply the Australian Painted Snipe effort figures in the threatened bird survey guideline to Latham’s Snipe, because that section concerns a different species.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

There is no Latham’s Snipe specific minimum number of survey hours, nights or transect kilometres in the supplied documents. Set the effort through a documented, risk based survey design that covers each wetland and each habitat type affected by the project.

Increase effort where habitat supports repeated records, where the project could remove shallow wetland habitat, or where a site may support 18 or more birds.

  • Have a suitably experienced ecologist assess the survey design before clearing or construction starts.
  • Submit confirmed records and significant negative survey results to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and the Atlas of Living Australia where appropriate.
  • Report any site supporting 18 or more birds to the project environmental officer and assess it as potentially important habitat before works proceed.
  • Keep georeferenced records, photographs, survey tracks, weather data, water conditions, observer names and detection outcomes with the project environmental records.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoiding wetland loss and disturbance is the main project control. Latham’s Snipe uses both feeding and roosting areas, and suitable habitat may occur in small ephemeral wetlands, urban water bodies and wet ground outside formal reserves.

Redesign the work footprint to retain shallow wetland habitat, soft muddy margins, low dense vegetation and sheltered roosting cover.

Retain connected wet areas, drainage lines, wet grassland and nearby roosting cover rather than protecting only the open water area.

Avoid drainage, filling, water diversion, sediment entry, altered runoff, excessive lighting and changes to wetland water levels.

Treat any wetland that has supported 18 or more birds as potentially important habitat and obtain ecological advice before disturbance.

  • Do not clear or modify habitat critical to the survival of the species unless the action has been assessed and approved under the applicable legislation.
  • Maintain access between feeding and roosting areas where practicable.
  • Place stockpiles, compounds, access tracks, lighting and noisy equipment away from wetlands and dense wetland cover.
  • Use site specific disturbance buffers based on the habitat, activity, visibility, noise and likely bird response, because the supplied documents do not prescribe a universal distance.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

Check whether the action may affect the EPBC Act listed Vulnerable species or its important habitat and refer the action if required.

Check state and territory threatened species, wildlife, vegetation clearing, wetland, waterway and animal welfare requirements before works begin.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat, survey results, exclusion areas, stop-work triggers, authorised fauna handlers, relocation arrangements and reporting requirements.

  • Obtain all required permits before handling, capturing, relocating or rehabilitating a bird.
  • Plan the highest risk earthworks and vegetation removal outside the main Australian non-breeding period where practicable, particularly August to February, while recognising that some birds may remain in Australia during the breeding season.
  • Stage works so that retained wetland habitat remains available while disturbed areas are progressively restored.
  • Consult the relevant land manager and wildlife authority where the site is within a wetland reserve or supports repeated high counts.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance inspection immediately before works, including a dawn, dusk or night search where suitable habitat is present.

Mark wetland edges, shallow muddy feeding areas, dense roosting cover, drainage lines and no-go areas on plans and on the ground.

Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery, vehicles, people, dogs or livestock entering retained wetland habitat without creating a barrier to bird movement.

Brief machinery operators, supervisors and fauna spotter catchers on the species’ appearance, rapid zig-zag flight, likely habitat and stop-work procedure.

  • Check that fencing, sediment controls and access tracks will not divert water or cause sediment to enter retained habitat.
  • Remove or relocate temporary lighting that shines into retained wetland or roosting habitat.
  • Confirm the receiving habitat for any approved relocation before clearing starts.
  • Record the condition of retained and disturbed wetlands with photographs and mapped points.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls

Latham’s Snipe can remain hidden in dense wet vegetation until approached. Works must proceed slowly around wetland habitat, with a clear communication link between the fauna spotter catcher and machinery operators.

Inspect exclusion fencing, sediment controls, access routes and retained wetland habitat before work each day.

Repeat a targeted inspection after rainfall, flooding, fire, overnight inundation or any change to the work footprint.

Keep vehicles, workers, dogs and machinery out of retained wetland habitat unless the approved method requires entry.

Limit noise, dust, vibration and lighting near retained feeding and roosting areas, and avoid unnecessary night work.

  • Nominate one person to give the stop-work instruction for fauna incidents.
  • Keep a fauna incident register at the worksite.
  • Do not allow spoil, concrete washout, fuels, chemicals or contaminated water to enter wetlands or drainage lines.
  • Keep cats and dogs out of the work area and retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Spotter catcher and machinery procedure

The fauna spotter catcher must inspect the immediate work area before each new clearing activity and remain in communication with the machine operator.

Use staged clearing towards retained habitat only where the fauna management plan confirms that the direction will not drive birds into roads, machinery, open water or other hazards.

Pause machinery when the spotter catcher loses visibility of the active clearing area or identifies a bird in the work zone.

Use the least intrusive safe method to encourage a bird to leave the disturbance area without chasing or repeatedly flushing it.

  • Stop work if a Latham’s Snipe is within the active clearing or construction area, is trapped, is injured, or cannot move safely away from the work.
  • Do not resume until the authorised fauna handler has inspected the area and the environmental officer has confirmed the control measure.
  • Use a qualified and authorised person for capture, handling or relocation, in accordance with the relevant permit and animal welfare requirements.
  • Relocate a bird only when necessary, to suitable nearby retained habitat with wet ground, dense cover and access to shallow water or soft mud, and record the release location.

During habitat disturbance: Wetland features and animal welfare

Protect shallow muddy margins, low dense vegetation, sedges, grasses, lignum, reeds, rushes and sheltered ground cover because these features provide feeding or roosting habitat.

Retain wetland hydrology and prevent machinery from compacting mud, increasing turbidity, removing cover or creating bare ground.

Latham’s Snipe is not a hollow dependent species in the supplied documents, so hollow-bearing trees, logs and rocks should be managed under the broader fauna plan unless they occur within wetland cover or provide shelter.

Do not handle a healthy bird merely to improve identification or obtain a photograph.

  • Place an injured or distressed bird in a secure, quiet container only if the authorised handler considers this safe and permitted.
  • Arrange prompt assessment by a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer for injured, heat stressed or contaminated birds.
  • Keep handling time, noise, light and restraint to the minimum needed for welfare and lawful transfer.
  • Do not feed, water or treat an injured bird unless directed by a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer.

During habitat disturbance: Records and stop-work reporting

Record every sighting, flush, capture, relocation, injury, mortality and stop-work event, including date, time, coordinates, habitat, weather, project activity and outcome.

Report any concentration of 18 or more birds, loss of mapped important habitat, or repeated use of a work area to the environmental officer before work continues.

Notify the relevant wildlife authority when required by the approval, permit or incident procedure.

Update the fauna management plan if birds are found in habitat not identified during the pre-clearance survey.

  • Retain photographs, GPS points, observer details and chain of custody records for injured or dead birds.
  • Include negative results only where the survey effort, conditions and areas searched are documented.
  • Escalate any suspected breach of an approval, permit or threatened species condition immediately.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-work checks must confirm that birds have not been trapped, injured or excluded from essential habitat. Monitoring should also test whether retained wetlands continue to provide shallow feeding areas and sheltered roosts.

Inspect the completed work area, retained wetland edges, drainage controls and access routes after each clearing stage.

Complete a follow-up dawn, dusk or night search where Latham’s Snipe habitat was disturbed or where a bird was recorded during works.

Check for trapped or injured birds, new barriers, altered drainage, sediment deposition, excessive lighting and loss of dense cover.

Remove temporary hazards and repair exclusion fencing or sediment controls where they no longer perform their approved function.

  • Do not declare an area clear solely because no bird was seen during one inspection.
  • Reinspect after rainfall or inundation because birds may move into restored or newly wet habitat.
  • Keep retained habitat fenced or otherwise protected until construction traffic and temporary works are removed.
  • Confirm that any relocated bird was released and that any injured bird was transferred to an approved carer or veterinarian.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained and rehabilitated wetlands through the next suitable non-breeding season, with surveys timed around dawn, dusk or night activity.

Compare bird records with the baseline survey, habitat condition, water availability, vegetation cover and disturbance levels.

Report changes in bird use, habitat condition, incidents and corrective actions to the approval holder and relevant authority.

  • Use the same mapped survey areas and recording method where possible so results can be compared between seasons.
  • Continue monitoring sites that support repeated records or 18 or more birds until the environmental officer and relevant authority agree that the risk has reduced.
  • Maintain weed, sediment, lighting, access and predator controls for as long as they are needed to protect retained habitat.
  • Apply approved offsets or other compensatory measures where impacts cannot be avoided or minimised and the approval requires them.

After habitat disturbance: Close-out

Close the fauna condition only after all incidents are resolved, rehabilitation areas are protected, monitoring commitments are assigned and required reports are submitted.

Provide the final spatial data and survey records to the relevant state or territory wildlife database where required.

Record lessons from the project and update future wetland clearing procedures for Latham’s Snipe.

  • Retain permit records, fauna registers, photographs, survey data, rehabilitation plans and monitoring results in the project file.
  • Notify the land manager of retained habitat, maintenance needs and known Latham’s Snipe use.
  • Review the site after major maintenance, drainage changes or vegetation removal.

Rehabilitation actions: Wetland structure and planting

Rehabilitation should recreate the wetland structure used by Latham’s Snipe, rather than only planting vegetation. The target is a functioning wet area with shallow water or soft mud, low dense cover, safe roosting sites and suitable invertebrate prey.

Reinstate shallow wet areas, soft muddy margins and very shallow water where these features were present before disturbance.

Restore low, dense vegetation using locally appropriate sedges, grasses, rushes, reeds, lignum and other native wetland plants suited to the site.

Retain or re-establish sheltered roosting cover beside feeding areas, including dense tea-tree or other locally appropriate cover where it naturally occurs.

Use natural contours and water movement so the wetland can respond to rainfall without creating scour, excessive turbidity or prolonged deep water.

  • Do not create a steep, open water body with no shallow margin or dense cover.
  • Use local provenance plants where required by the project approval or land manager.
  • Protect new plantings from trampling, grazing and machinery until they are established.
  • Avoid planting dense woody vegetation across all open wetland margins, because the species uses open wet areas for feeding.

Rehabilitation actions: Habitat features and predators

Retain natural ground cover, logs and rocks only where they support wetland shelter and do not block shallow feeding areas or water movement.

Do not install nest boxes as a Latham’s Snipe measure because the supplied documents describe ground roosting and ground nesting ecology rather than hollow use.

Control weeds that replace low native wetland cover or alter water movement.

Manage cats, foxes and roaming dogs around retained and rehabilitated wetlands.

  • Use fencing or access controls where livestock grazing would compact soil, increase turbidity, damage plants or remove roosting cover.
  • Limit artificial lighting near wetland margins and sheltered roosts.
  • Keep rehabilitation areas free of dumped soil, green waste, contaminated material and construction debris.
  • Coordinate predator and weed control with the land manager so control work does not disturb birds or damage wetland habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, water and climate management

Protect wetland water availability by retaining natural runoff, avoiding unnecessary drainage and preventing diversion of water away from shallow feeding areas.

Manage fire risk so high intensity fire does not remove wetland vegetation structure or cause loss of habitat during drought conditions.

Use climate and water monitoring to identify when rehabilitated wetlands are drying, becoming too saline, or losing dense cover.

Maintain several connected wet areas where practicable so birds can move in response to rainfall and changing food availability.

  • Do not burn wetland vegetation without an approved ecological fire plan that considers Latham’s Snipe habitat and the timing of bird use.
  • Schedule slashing and mowing outside periods of bird use where practicable, and retain unmown refuge areas until the habitat plan confirms that work is safe.
  • Repair erosion and sediment sources before replanting wetland margins.
  • Seek ecological advice if rehabilitation changes water depth, hydroperiod or vegetation structure beyond the original habitat condition.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Monitor water presence, shallow mud, vegetation cover, roosting shelter, weed cover, predator activity and disturbance at each rehabilitation area.

Repeat Latham’s Snipe surveys during the relevant non-breeding season, using dawn, dusk and night searches and the same mapped areas as the baseline survey.

Treat continued use by Latham’s Snipe, stable or improving wetland condition, and retention of connected feeding and roosting habitat as key indicators of success.

Important habitat indicator: At least 18 Latham’s Snipe using an area

Relevant monitoring period: Australian non-breeding season, generally August to February or early March, with local variation

  • Set project specific numerical targets for wetland area, water depth, vegetation cover and weed cover before rehabilitation starts, because the supplied documents do not provide universal restoration targets.
  • Investigate and correct declining bird use rather than assuming that plant establishment alone demonstrates success.
  • Continue monitoring after the first establishment period and after drought, fire, flooding or major maintenance.
  • Submit significant records and rehabilitation outcomes to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and include them in the project completion report.

Sources