New Caledonian rail
New Caledonian rail | |
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Stuffed specimen | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Gruiformes |
Family: | Rallidae |
Genus: | Cabalus |
Species: | C. lafresnayanus
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Binomial name | |
Cabalus lafresnayanus (
Des Murs , 1860) | |
Synonyms | |
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The New Caledonian rail (Cabalus lafresnayanus) is a large and drab flightless rail endemic to the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific. It is Critically Endangered.
Taxonomy
It was once thought to be in the genus
Description
It is a dull brown above, with grey underparts, and has a yellowish, downward-curving bill. Due to it having not been seen since the 1890s, its call and daily habits are not known.
Distribution and habitat
This bird is supposed to live in evergreen forests and, if still extant, seems to have moved higher up on the island to escape introduced predators.
Ecology
This bird was host to a species of
Status
This cryptic rail is only known from seventeen specimens taken between 1860 and 1890 on New Caledonia. It most likely was driven to extinction from predation by
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2013). "Gallirallus lafresnayanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- .
External links
- Media related to Gallirallus lafresnayanus at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Gallirallus lafresnayanus at Wikispecies
- BirdLife Species Factsheet.