Talaud Bush-hen
Encyclopedia
The Talaud Bush-hen is an vulnerable
waterbird in the rail and crake family
.
It is a recently described species from Karakelang Island in the Talaud Islands
, Indonesia
. It occurs in forest, scrub, and overgrown plantations.
. Its large head and its upperparts are dark brown, and its underparts and flanks are very dark bluish grey. The large, thick bill is pale green, and the legs are yellow, becoming more olive at the rear.
The only confirmed call of this shy species is a series of loud, low-pitched croaking barks, but it is likely that it also makes the shrieks typical of bush-hens.
There are two protected areas totalling 21,800 hectares, but there has been no management and these areas are threatened by agricultural encroachment, illegal logging, and fire. Trapping for food and introduced rats may also pose a threat.
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
waterbird in the rail and crake family
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...
.
It is a recently described species from Karakelang Island in the Talaud Islands
Talaud Islands
Talaud Islands is a group of islands located north of Sulawesi island in Indonesia, northeast of the Sangihe Islands...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It occurs in forest, scrub, and overgrown plantations.
Description
Talaud Bush-hen is a 30.5 cm long, large, very dark and robust bush-henAmaurornis
Amaurornis is a genus of birds in the Rallidae family.It contains the following species:* Brown Crake, * Plain Bush-hen, * Isabelline Bush-hen,...
. Its large head and its upperparts are dark brown, and its underparts and flanks are very dark bluish grey. The large, thick bill is pale green, and the legs are yellow, becoming more olive at the rear.
The only confirmed call of this shy species is a series of loud, low-pitched croaking barks, but it is likely that it also makes the shrieks typical of bush-hens.
Status
The population is estimated at 2,350-9,560 individuals on Karakelang. It may also occur on neighbouring islands, but there is little forest on those, less than 20 km2 compared to 350 km2 on Karakelang.There are two protected areas totalling 21,800 hectares, but there has been no management and these areas are threatened by agricultural encroachment, illegal logging, and fire. Trapping for food and introduced rats may also pose a threat.