On 4 Ma r c h 1973, a pair of Australian Painted
Snipe was caught near Windsor, New South Wales,
f o r the collection of the Taronga Zoo. These were
housed by themselves f o r exhibition in a large out-
door circular aviary, approximately five metres i n
diameter with a small pool and aquatic reeds. These
conditions were reasonably natural and secure f o r
the birds and allowed me t o see their behaviour,
which was mainly defensive; because they a r e
primarily crepuscular o r nocturnal, feeding and
other intraspecific behaviour could not easily b e
observed.
When the pair was first removed f r o m the trans-
port crate to t h e aviary, t h e female uttered a loud
hiss, much like a n enraged snake, and also a deep
growl. Both sounds were startling f r om such a
small bird. T h e male remained mute a n d n o other
vocalizations have been heard f r om either bird since.
When first introduced into the aviary the pair tried
to hide under the abundant vegetation and froze
characteristically, When more closely pressed they
tried t o fly away but could not because t h e aviary is
covered; within two days the gave up such attempts.
