Gallirallus
Encyclopedia
Gallirallus is a genus
that contains about a dozen living species of rails
that live in the Australasia
n-Pacific region. Many of these, including the most well-known one - the bold and inquisitive weka
of New Zealand
- are flightless or nearly so; others, such as the Buff-banded Rail
, can go for considerable distances once airborne even though they are not great flyers. This has enabled the flying species of this genus to colonize islands all over the region.
Many of the resultant flightless island endemics became extinct after the arrival of humans, which hunted these birds for food, introduced novel predators like rats, dogs or pigs, and upset the local ecosystem
s. A common Polynesian name of these rails, mainly relatives of G. philippensis, is veka/weka (in English
, this name is generally limited to Gallirallus australis).
One species, the Guam Rail
, is extinct in the wild
; there exists a semi-wild population in preparation for reintroduction to its original habitat. Three more species have gone extinct in historic times, while the New Caledonian Rail
probably is extinct. The Sharpe's Rail
, only known from the type specimen of unclear origin, may also be extinct, although recent evidence suggests that it is invalid, and instead should be regarded as a morph of the Buff-banded Rail. Two further species are assumed from circumstantial evidence to have survived into the Modern era but are not known from recent specimens.
On the other hand, Gallirallus species are (with the exception of the Weka) notoriously retiring and shy birds with often drab coloration. Given that the Okinawa Rail
and the Calayan Rail
have only been discovered in the late 20th century and as late as 2004, respectively, it cannot be ruled out that the New Caledonian and Sharpe's Rail may still exist.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
that contains about a dozen living species of rails
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
that live in the Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
n-Pacific region. Many of these, including the most well-known one - the bold and inquisitive weka
Weka
The Weka or woodhen is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand, where four subspecies are recognized. Weka are sturdy brown birds, about the size of a chicken. As omnivores, they feed mainly on invertebrates and fruit...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
- are flightless or nearly so; others, such as the Buff-banded Rail
Buff-banded Rail
The Buff-banded Rail, Gallirallus philippensis is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the family Rallidae....
, can go for considerable distances once airborne even though they are not great flyers. This has enabled the flying species of this genus to colonize islands all over the region.
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s. A common Polynesian name of these rails, mainly relatives of G. philippensis, is veka/weka (in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, this name is generally limited to Gallirallus australis).
One species, the Guam Rail
Guam Rail
The Guam Rail, Gallirallus owstoni, is a flightless bird, endemic to Guam. The Guam Rail, which is locally known as the Ko'ko' in Chamorro, disappeared from southern Guam in the early 1970s and was extirpated from the entire island by the late 1980s...
, is extinct in the wild
Extinct in the Wild
Extinct in the Wild is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa, the only known living members of which are being kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.-Examples:...
; there exists a semi-wild population in preparation for reintroduction to its original habitat. Three more species have gone extinct in historic times, while the New Caledonian Rail
New Caledonian Rail
The New Caledonian Rail is a large and drab flightless rail that is found on the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific. It is a dull brown above, with grey underparts, and has a yellowish, downward-curving bill...
probably is extinct. The Sharpe's Rail
Sharpe's Rail
The Sharpe's Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It is only known from the type specimen of unknown origin, but it has been speculated that it originated from Indonesia...
, only known from the type specimen of unclear origin, may also be extinct, although recent evidence suggests that it is invalid, and instead should be regarded as a morph of the Buff-banded Rail. Two further species are assumed from circumstantial evidence to have survived into the Modern era but are not known from recent specimens.
On the other hand, Gallirallus species are (with the exception of the Weka) notoriously retiring and shy birds with often drab coloration. Given that the Okinawa Rail
Okinawa Rail
The Okinawa Rail is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae. It is endemic to Okinawa Island in Japan where it is known as the...
and the Calayan Rail
Calayan Rail
The Calayan Rail is a flightless bird of the rail, moorhen, and coot family that inhabits Calayan Island in the Philippines. Though well-known to natives of the island as the "piding", it was first observed by ornithologist Carmela Española in May 2004 and the discovery officially announced on...
have only been discovered in the late 20th century and as late as 2004, respectively, it cannot be ruled out that the New Caledonian and Sharpe's Rail may still exist.
Living and recently extinct species
- WekaWekaThe Weka or woodhen is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand, where four subspecies are recognized. Weka are sturdy brown birds, about the size of a chicken. As omnivores, they feed mainly on invertebrates and fruit...
, Gallirallus australis - New Caledonian RailNew Caledonian RailThe New Caledonian Rail is a large and drab flightless rail that is found on the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific. It is a dull brown above, with grey underparts, and has a yellowish, downward-curving bill...
, Gallirallus lafresnayanus - probably extinct (c.1990?) - Lord Howe WoodhenLord Howe WoodhenThe Lord Howe Woodhen, Gallirallus sylvestris, also known as the Lord Howe Island Woodhen or Lord Howe Rail, is a flightless bird of the rail family . It is endemic to Lord Howe Island off the Australian coast. It is a small olive brown bird, with a short tail and a downcurved bill...
, Gallirallus sylvestris - Okinawa RailOkinawa RailThe Okinawa Rail is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae. It is endemic to Okinawa Island in Japan where it is known as the...
, Gallirallus okinawae - Calayan RailCalayan RailThe Calayan Rail is a flightless bird of the rail, moorhen, and coot family that inhabits Calayan Island in the Philippines. Though well-known to natives of the island as the "piding", it was first observed by ornithologist Carmela Española in May 2004 and the discovery officially announced on...
, Gallirallus calayanensis - Barred RailBarred RailThe Barred Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in Indonesia and the Philippines.-References:* BirdLife International 2008. . Downloaded on 4 November 2008....
, Gallirallus torquatus - New Britain RailNew Britain RailThe Pink-legged Rail , also known as the New Britain Rail, is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.-Distribution and habitat:...
, Gallirallus insignis - Buff-banded RailBuff-banded RailThe Buff-banded Rail, Gallirallus philippensis is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the family Rallidae....
, Gallirallus philippensis - Roviana RailRoviana RailThe Roviana Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is endemic to Solomon Islands.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and plantations ....
, Gallirallus rovianae - Guam RailGuam RailThe Guam Rail, Gallirallus owstoni, is a flightless bird, endemic to Guam. The Guam Rail, which is locally known as the Ko'ko' in Chamorro, disappeared from southern Guam in the early 1970s and was extirpated from the entire island by the late 1980s...
, Gallirallus owstoni - extinct in the wildExtinct in the WildExtinct in the Wild is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa, the only known living members of which are being kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.-Examples:...
(late 1980s) - Dieffenbach's RailDieffenbach's RailThe Dieffenbach's Rail was a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It was endemic to New Zealand. It became extinct due to introduced predators.-References:...
, Gallirallus dieffenbachii - extinct (mid-19th century) - Tahiti Rail, Gallirallus pacificus - extinct (late 18th - 19th century)
- Wake Island RailWake Island RailThe extinct Wake Island Rail was a flightless rail and the only native land bird on the Pacific atoll of Wake. It was found on the islands of Wake and Wilkes, but not on Peale, which is separated from the others by a channel of about 100 meters.-Description:The adult bird had a length of . The...
, Gallirallus wakensis - extinct (1945) - Sharpe's RailSharpe's RailThe Sharpe's Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It is only known from the type specimen of unknown origin, but it has been speculated that it originated from Indonesia...
, Gallirallus sharpei - if valid, possibly extinct (20th century?) - Slaty-breasted RailSlaty-breasted RailThe Slaty-breasted Rail is a species of rail found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.Breeding has been recorded from July in the foothills of the Himalayas from Dehradun in the west....
, Gallirallus striatus
Species extinct before 1500 AD
- Nuku Hiva Rail, Gallirallus epulare
- Ua Huka Rail, Gallirallus gracilitibia
- Niue Rail, Gallirallus huiatua
- Mangaia Rail, Gallirallus ripleyi
- Tahuata Rail, Gallirallus roletti
- Huahine RailHuahine RailThe Huahine Rail was a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It was a medium-sized Gallirallus rail endemic to Huahine in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. It is known only from subfossil remains found at the Fa'ahia archaeological site on the island...
, Gallirallus storrsolsoni - ‘Eua Rail, Gallirallus vekamatolu - possibly survived to the early 19th century
- Marianas Rail, Gallirallus cf. owstoni
- New Ireland Rail, Gallirallus sp.
- Norfolk Island Rail, Gallirallus sp. - possibly survived to the early 19th century
- Hiva Oa Rail, ?Gallirallus sp.