South Island Pied Oystercatcher
South Island Pied OystercatcherSouth Island Pied OystercatcherSouth Island Pied OystercatcherSouth Island Pied Oystercatcher

South Island Pied Oystercatcher

Haematopus finschi

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
20–30% · Possible
overall probability at Fiordland National Park
403 Verified records at Fiordland National Park
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 scientific name commemorates the German ethnographer, naturalist and colonial explorer Friedrich Hermann Otto Finsch (8 August 1839 – 31 January 1917, Braunschweig). Wikipedia →

20–30% of wildlife watchers report a South Island Pied Oystercatcher sighting in Fiordland National Park, based on 403 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Fiordland National Park

VOC
LC Endemic

VOC

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus unicolor

20–30% · Possible
Dominican Gull
LC

Dominican Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus dominicanus

60–70% · Likely
Black-billed Gull
Endemic

Black-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus bulleri

30–40% · Possible
Silver Gull
Endemic

Silver Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

30–40% · Possible
Masked Lapwing
LC

Masked Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus miles

20–30% · Possible
Black-fronted Tern
EN Endemic

Black-fronted Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias albostriatus

20–30% · Possible
White-headed Stilt

White-headed Stilt

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Himantopus leucocephalus

10–20% · With luck
White-fronted Tern
NT

White-fronted Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna striata

10–20% · With luck
Bar-tailed Godwit
NT

Bar-tailed Godwit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Limosa lapponica

5–10% · With luck
Ruddy Turnstone
NT

Ruddy Turnstone

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Arenaria interpres

5–10% · With luck
South Polar Skua

South Polar Skua

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Stercorarius maccormicki

Insufficient data
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
10–20
Feb
10–20
Mar
10–20
Apr
10–20
May
30–40
Jun
40–50
Jul
40–50
Aug
40–50
Sep
40–50
Oct
30–40
Nov
10–20
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Abel Tasman National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
40–50%
2 Fiordland National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
20–30%
3 Aoraki Mount Cook National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
10–20%
4 Rakiura National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
10–20%
5 Arthur's Pass National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
10–20%

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a South Island Pied Oystercatcher in Fiordland National Park?

About 24% of wildlife watchers report a South Island Pied Oystercatcher sighting in Fiordland National Park, based on 403 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see South Island Pied Oystercatcher in Fiordland National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for South Island Pied Oystercatcher in Fiordland National Park in our monthly data.

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