The story The remote Chatham Islands lie way to the south of New Zealand and here, in isolation, two species seem to have developed from an ancestral stock that resembled the Buff-banded Rail. The less evolved of these is Dieffenbach’s Rail, and this form seems to have developed from a comparatively recent invasion of the […]
Category: Rallidae
Ascension Rail (Atlantisea elpenor)
The story The evidence for the former existence of a small rail on Ascension Island is of two kinds. First, bones from a rail have been found on the island and, second, there exists a seventeenth century written account of just such a creature. This account was written by the much travelled Englishman Peter Mundy, […]
Hawaiian Crake (Porzana sandwichensis)
The story A small species of rail once inhabited the main island of Hawaii and perhaps some other Hawaiian islands. A handful of specimens exist in the museums of the world but these have in themselves caused some controversy. Two of them are rather paler in colour than the rest, giving rise to the idea […]
Laysan Crake (Porzana palmeri)
The story Laysan is a tiny coral island around 1280 km to the north-east of Hawaii, and one of its few inhabitants was a small species of rail. Because it is so remote, the island was infrequently visited but, nevertheless, there are several good accounts of the bird in life. These consistently tell of how […]
Mauritian Red Rail (Aphanapteryx bonasia)
The story Scattered among the seventeenth century written accounts and illustrations that relate to the celebrated Dodo are descriptions and pictures of a flightless bird of a rather different kind. These pictures show a creature that in overall shape and appearance looks something like a kiwi. A long, down-curved beak, rather hair-like plumage and stout […]
Sora (Porzana carolina)
[order] GRUIFORMES | [family] Rallidae | [latin] Porzana carolina | [UK] Sora | [FR] Marouette de Caroline | [DE] Carolina-Sumpfhuhn | [ES] Polluela Sora | [NL] Sora-ral Subspecies Monotypic species Physical charateristics In its breeding plumage, the sora’s throat and face are black, with a short, yellowish bill. The breast and nape of neck are […]
American Coot (Fulica americana)
[order] GRUIFORMES | [family] Rallidae | [latin] Fulica americana | [UK] American Coot | [FR] Foulque d’Amerique | [DE] Amerikanisches Blasshuhn | [ES] | [NL] Amerikaanse Meerkoet Subspecies Genus Species subspecies Breeding Range Breeding Range 2 Non Breeding Range Fulica americana NA, MA widespread, also Hawaiian Islands and n SA Fulica americana americana se Alaska […]
Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana)
[order] GRUIFORMES | [family] Rallidae | [latin] Porzana porzana | [UK] Spotted Crake | [FR] Marouette ponctuee | [DE] Tupfel-Sumpfhuhn | [ES] Polluela Pintoja | [NL] Porseleinhoen Subspecies Monotypic species Physical charateristics Rather plump crake, readily distinguished from sympatric rallids on size, lack of extensive grey on underparts, buff undertail-coverts. Yellow bill with greenish tip […]
Baillons Crake (Porzana pusilla)
[order] GRUIFORMES | [family] Rallidae | [latin] Porzana pusilla | [UK] Baillons Crake | [FR] Marouette de Baillon | [DE] Zwerg-Sumpfhuhn | [ES] Polluela Chica | [NL] Kleinst Waterhoen Subspecies Genus Species subspecies Breeding Range Breeding Range 2 Non Breeding Range Porzana pusilla EU, AF, OR, AU widespread Porzana pusilla affinis New Zealand, Chatham Is. […]
Striped Crake (aenigmatolimnas marginalis)
[order] GRUIFORMES | [family] Rallidae | [latin] aenigmatolimnas marginalis | [UK] Striped Crake | [FR] Marouette rayee | [DE] Graukehl-Sumpfhuhn | [ES] Polluela Culirroja | [NL] Afrikaans Porseleinhoen Subspecies Genus Species subspecies Breeding Range Breeding Range 2 Non Breeding Range Cyanolimnas marginalis Aenigmatolimnas marginalis AF wc, se Physical charateristics Male dark brown with white streaks […]