Wake Island Rail
Encyclopedia
The extinct
Wake Island Rail (Gallirallus wakensis) 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.
(Gallirallus philippensis) from the Philippines
, which is able to fly. Its appearance was dark greyish brown on the upperparts as well as on the crown, the lores and the cheeks. It was also characterized by ash brown underparts with striking narrow white bars on the belly, the breast, and the flanks. The upper throat and the chin were whitish. A grey superciliary was drawn from the chin over the top of the eyes to the bill. The bill, legs and feet had a brown hue.
first scientific description in 1903. The Wake Island Rail inhabited Cordia subcordata scrubs and fed on mollusks, insects and worms. Since its habitat offered no natural source of fresh water, it is assumed that the bird was able to subsist without drinking.
The breeding period started with courtship and copulations in late July, with actual nesting not taking place until mid-August. When ornithologist Alexander Wetmore
observed this species in 1923, he described it as very curious but quick to flee into cover when disturbed. Its call consisted of a gentle cluck or a low chattering sound.
. It was hunted and eaten to extinction after the Japanese forces
who occupied this island in 1941 became cut off from the supply route in 1944. Because of its flightlessness and curiosity it was easy for just two men to catch them barehanded. The last rail was killed in 1945 by the starving soldiers.
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
Wake Island Rail (Gallirallus wakensis) was a 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...
and the only native land bird on the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
atoll of Wake
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
. 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 22 cm (9 in). The wing spread was between 8.5 and 10 cm (4 in). The length of the tail was 4.5 cm (2 in). The culmen was between 2.5 and 2.9 cm (1 in) and the length of the tarsus was 3.3 to 3.7 cm (1 in). It was closely related to the Buff-banded RailBuff-banded Rail
The Buff-banded Rail, Gallirallus philippensis is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the family Rallidae....
(Gallirallus philippensis) from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, which is able to fly. Its appearance was dark greyish brown on the upperparts as well as on the crown, the lores and the cheeks. It was also characterized by ash brown underparts with striking narrow white bars on the belly, the breast, and the flanks. The upper throat and the chin were whitish. A grey superciliary was drawn from the chin over the top of the eyes to the bill. The bill, legs and feet had a brown hue.
Ecology
The ecology of this species is poorly known. It was numerous at the time of Lionel Walter Rothschild'sWalter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
first scientific description in 1903. The Wake Island Rail inhabited Cordia subcordata scrubs and fed on mollusks, insects and worms. Since its habitat offered no natural source of fresh water, it is assumed that the bird was able to subsist without drinking.
Alexander Wetmore
Frank Alexander Wetmore was an American ornithologist and avian paleontologist.-Life:Wetmore studied at the University of Kansas...
observed this species in 1923, he described it as very curious but quick to flee into cover when disturbed. Its call consisted of a gentle cluck or a low chattering sound.
Extinction
The Wake Island Rail became a victim of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was hunted and eaten to extinction after the Japanese forces
Battle of Wake Island
The Battle of Wake Island began simultaneously with the Attack on Pearl Harbor and ended on 23 December 1941, with the surrender of the American forces to the Empire of Japan...
who occupied this island in 1941 became cut off from the supply route in 1944. Because of its flightlessness and curiosity it was easy for just two men to catch them barehanded. The last rail was killed in 1945 by the starving soldiers.