Rodrigues Rail
Encyclopedia
The Rodrigues Rail or Leguat's Gelinote (Aphanapteryx leguati) is an extinct bird named after the learned traveller François Leguat
, who came with a band of Huguenot
religious refugees to Rodrigues
in 1691 and stayed there for two years. It was also mentioned by Julien Tafforet in 1726. The Rodrigues Rail was a plump, flightless rail
with bright gray plumage - probably an effect caused by fine grey and white mottling or vermiculations like on a mallard
drake's flanks - and conspicuous red bill
, feet and eye wattle
s. It was somewhat smaller than its relative, the Red Rail
of Mauritius
. The strong bill varied much in size and shape, some specimens having shorter and almost straight bills, others being much longer and prominently curved. It is unknown whether this related to sexual dimorphism
or to individual variation or even to a genetic
plasticity in bill shape and size that responds to differential food availability, as had been shown
in some Darwin's finches
. Leguat's account does suggest that he could not discern marked differences between the sexes.
It seems to have occurred mainly in the coastal forests of the island, as the larger and more conspicuous Rodrigues Solitaire
, which preferred the deep inland forests, was still seen after the rail's extinction. Had these birds shared the same habitat, the solitaire would certainly have become extinct before the rail. The birds fed on invertebrates, possibly small vertebrates, and in the turtle's nesting season they dug up and fattened themselves on their eggs; it seems thus likely that like the Solitaire, they had an annual cycle of becoming fat and slim, corresponding with varying availability of food in the wet and dry seasons. Its vocalizations were a continuous whistling, but the alarm call was a hiccup
-like staccato. The eggs and nests of the birds were not located by Leguat and his companions.
s derived from the eggs' yolks). Leguat mentions that the birds were taken in a way similar to the method used on Mauritus to catch Red Rails: a piece of red cloth was shown to them, to which they responded by aggressive behavior; having no fear of humans as they evolved in the absence of predators, they jumped at the cloth and tried to tear it apart, enabling the hunters to catch them in numbers. Although the Rodrigues Rail managed to hold its own against the rats that had been accidentally introduced in the late 17th century and multiplied by the time of Leguat's visit, it was unable to withstand the persecution by humans. Pingré
mentions in his 1763 report that the bird was extinct by 1761. No skins of the bird have survived; today, it is known only from the two descriptions and a large number of subfossil
bones.
François Leguat
François Leguat was a French explorer and naturalist.Leguat was a French Huguenot originating from the Province of Bresse, now part of the department of Ain, who fled to Holland in 1689 after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685...
, who came with a band of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
religious refugees to Rodrigues
Rodrigues (island)
Rodrigues , sometimes spelled Rodriguez but named after the Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues, is the smallest of the Mascarene Islands and a dependency of Mauritius...
in 1691 and stayed there for two years. It was also mentioned by Julien Tafforet in 1726. The Rodrigues Rail was a plump, flightless rail
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...
with bright gray plumage - probably an effect caused by fine grey and white mottling or vermiculations like on a mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
drake's flanks - and conspicuous red bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, feet and eye wattle
Wattle
Wattle may refer to:*Wattle , a fleshy growth hanging from the head or neck of certain animals.*Wattle is another term for Congenital cartilaginous rest of the neck...
s. It was somewhat smaller than its relative, the Red Rail
Red Rail
The Red Rail or Red Hen of Mauritius, Aphanapteryx bonasia, is an extinct rail. It was only found on the island of Mauritius. The Red Rail, which today is only known from a large number of bones, some descriptions and a handful of drawings and paintings, was a flightless bird, somewhat larger than...
of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. The strong bill varied much in size and shape, some specimens having shorter and almost straight bills, others being much longer and prominently curved. It is unknown whether this related to sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
or to individual variation or even to a genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
plasticity in bill shape and size that responds to differential food availability, as had been shown
The Beak of the Finch
The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time is a 1994 nonfiction book about evolutionary biology, written by Jonathan Weiner. It won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The finches of the title are the Galapagos or 'Darwin's Finches,' passerine songbirds in the Galapagos...
in some Darwin's finches
Darwin's finches
Darwin's finches are a group of 14 or 15 species of passerine birds. It is still not clear which bird family they belong to, but they are not related to the true finches. They were first collected by Charles Darwin on the Galápagos Islands during the second voyage of the Beagle...
. Leguat's account does suggest that he could not discern marked differences between the sexes.
It seems to have occurred mainly in the coastal forests of the island, as the larger and more conspicuous Rodrigues Solitaire
Rodrigues Solitaire
The Rodrigues Solitaire was a flightless member of the pigeon order endemic to Rodrigues, Mauritius. It was a close relative of the Dodo.-Discovery:...
, which preferred the deep inland forests, was still seen after the rail's extinction. Had these birds shared the same habitat, the solitaire would certainly have become extinct before the rail. The birds fed on invertebrates, possibly small vertebrates, and in the turtle's nesting season they dug up and fattened themselves on their eggs; it seems thus likely that like the Solitaire, they had an annual cycle of becoming fat and slim, corresponding with varying availability of food in the wet and dry seasons. Its vocalizations were a continuous whistling, but the alarm call was a hiccup
Hiccup
A hiccup or hiccough is a myoclonus of the diaphragm that repeats several times per minute. In humans, the abrupt rush of air into the lungs causes the vocal cords to close, creating a "hic" sound....
-like staccato. The eggs and nests of the birds were not located by Leguat and his companions.
Extinction
The rail was extensively hunted for food by the early settlers. The fat of birds that had been feeding on turtle eggs was bright orange and considered very good to assist recovering from illness (it was probably rich in caroteneCarotene
The term carotene is used for several related unsaturated hydrocarbon substances having the formula C40Hx, which are synthesized by plants but cannot be made by animals. Carotene is an orange photosynthetic pigment important for photosynthesis. Carotenes are all coloured to the human eye...
s derived from the eggs' yolks). Leguat mentions that the birds were taken in a way similar to the method used on Mauritus to catch Red Rails: a piece of red cloth was shown to them, to which they responded by aggressive behavior; having no fear of humans as they evolved in the absence of predators, they jumped at the cloth and tried to tear it apart, enabling the hunters to catch them in numbers. Although the Rodrigues Rail managed to hold its own against the rats that had been accidentally introduced in the late 17th century and multiplied by the time of Leguat's visit, it was unable to withstand the persecution by humans. Pingré
Alexandre Guy Pingré
Alexandre Guy Pingré was a French astronomer, priest, and naval geographer.He was born in Paris, France, and was educated at Senlis, where he became professor of theology in 1735. At an early age he had developed an interest in astronomy, and in 1749 he was appointed professor of astronomy at the...
mentions in his 1763 report that the bird was extinct by 1761. No skins of the bird have survived; today, it is known only from the two descriptions and a large number of subfossil
Subfossil
Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
bones.