[2] Its body shape is stocky and compact, with a rounded, robust chest, wide pointed wings, and a short tail.

[6] A Moluccan woodcock was collected for the first time in 1862 by Heinrich Bernstein and the species was later named Scolopax rochussenii in 1866 by Hermann Schlegel.

[4] The Moluccan woodcock is a lowland species that prefers wet, coastal habitats in or close to forests.

[7] Initially, the Moluccan woodcock was believed to be a montane bird, a habitat preference that would explain the lack of observations of the species.

[3][4] Moluccan woodcocks fly anywhere between 15 and 1150 meters in elevation, but their population density is higher at lower altitudes.

[4] The species is tolerant of minor habitat destruction and has been found to occupy secondary forests affected by selective logging and small-scale agriculture.

[4] The bird follows a river or stream, or circles over a swamp, maintaining an altitude of approximately 10 meters over the canopy.

[4] The species seemingly disappeared until 2013 when a group of researchers rediscovered the bird and recorded its vocalizations for the first time.

[9] While the species is tolerant of minor habitat destruction caused by selective logging and small-scale agriculture, the Moluccan woodcock still faces serious threats to its conservation.

[9] Unregulated large-scale nickel mining has led to the removal of all native vegetation and topsoil in some regions of western and southern Obi, causing dramatic modifications to the landscape and local bird populations.

[4] Conservation recommendations for the Moluccan woodcock include stricter mining regulations,[4] the protection of lowland forests and rivers, and the establishment of a watershed management plan on Obi.

[2] Larger-scale sampling surveys are essential to better understand the distribution and population trend of the species and to better inform conservation management decisions.