Zapata Rail

Cuba Rail in the Museo Felipe Poey

The Cuba Rail ( Cyanolimnas cerverai ), also called Zapataralle, is a species of bird in the family of Rails ( Rallidae ). The range of the species is limited to the swamp of Zapata in Cuba. It is classified by the IUCN as critically endangered ( " Critically Endangered ").

Features

The Cuba Rail reaches a body length of about 29 centimeters. Due to the relatively short, rounded wings, the species is restricted airworthy. While the top is brown and the bottom is blue with gray trailing edges. The under tail-coverts, throat and a short supraorbital stripe are white. The yellow of the excessively large bill goes to the base in red. The iris is red, the orange legs.

Distribution and habitat

The presence of these endemic species is restricted to the northern part of the 4500 km ² large swamp of Zapata. Even the Cuban Wren ( Ferminia cerverai ) and the nominate of Zapataammer ( Torreornis inexpectata inexpectata ) occur exclusively here.

The preferred habitat of the Cuba Rail is the vegetation on surfaces with a 0.8-1.0 meter high water level. Here she holds in shrub thickets and low trees on high ( ragendem out of the water ) scratch. Typical plants in this ecological niche, which belongs to the family of Myrica cerifera plants bog myrtle, the willow Salix longipes, which belongs to the Sedge plants of the genus Cladium jamaicensis cutting type and Narrow- cattail ( Typha angustifolia).

Today the bird is supposed to happen according to the present reports to the Laguna del Tesoro, as well as in the areas around Santo Tomás and Peralta. Nevertheless, it seems possible that there are other places further occurrence of these species. From bone fossil discoveries in cave deposits in the provinces of La Habana, Pinar del Río and even on the Isle of Pines, one can conclude that the range of the species was formerly much larger. Due to their special adaptation to this wetland doubted Thomas Barbour, that Cuba Coot similar distance, such as the eastern Cuban Zwerghutias ( Mesocapromys nanus ) or Cuba were crocodiles ( Crocodylus rhombifer ) scattered all over Cuba. He concluded that the wetland in Cuba must have been formerly much larger. Storrs Lovejoy Olson examined the fossils from pine island and came to the conclusion that this might not be a subspecies because the body measurements were significantly smaller than those of the nominate form. On the basis of the present material is allowed, however, in his view, make any final assessment.

Behavior

The Cuba Rails usually nest in the cutting ( Cladium jamaicensis ) on the raised grass tufts that protrude from the water. They breed at the September and possibly also in December and January. The American ornithologist James Bond found nests with 3 white eggs. Otherwise, little is known about the breeding behavior of the Rail. Since Rails usually monogamous and are precocial, it is assumed that this is also in Cuba Rails so. Their food they receive from the cutting. About the eating habits is not yet much known. Since other Coot feed on invertebrates and vegetable matter, it is likely that these also belong to the usual food of Cuba Rails. 1994 observed Spanish and Cuban ornithologists Cuba Rails in an area in which they were previously never been proven. They concluded that they migrate temporarily between dry and rainy season.

Like many other rails, the Cuba Rail is extremely difficult to discover, as it moves through the jungle of cutting and crouches in fear of discovery. In case of failure it runs off a shorter distance and spreads its tail, so you can see the white under tail-coverts. Through observations of Bond one must assume that it is not completely incapable of flight, as Bond saw fluttering flying over a channel, despite the morphological conditions.

Research History and etymology

The first known to science Cuba Rail was designed by the Spanish zoologists Fermín Zanón Cervera (1875-1944) collected in March 1927 near Santo Tomás in the south of the province of Matanzas. Cervera, who accompanied Thomas Barbour during an expedition to the north-east of the swamp of Zapata, was again sent by that in the swamp when he heard rumors of strange birds in the area. As a result, he brought with Cuba Wren Zapataammer and the Cuba Rail three previously unknown bellows with his tour. Barbour and James Lee Peters described together in their article Two more remarkable new birds from Cuba in the journal Proceedings of the New England Club zoölogical the Zapatammer and the Cuba Rail. The Cuba Wren had described a year earlier (1926 ) Barbour.

The genus name Cyanolimnas consists of the ancient Greek word for kuanos deep blue and the Latin limmas for Rail together. With the epithet cerverai the authors honored, their discoverer Cervera.

The genus Cyanolimnas is regarded as a genus between Neocrex (Colombia Crake ( Neocrex colombiana ), gold -billed Crake ( Neocrex erythrops ) ) and Pardirallus ( spot Rail ( Pardirallus maculatus ), mourning Rail ( Pardirallus nigricans ), gray Rail ( Pardirallus sanguinolentus ) ). All six species of these three genera a long beak, five have a dull plumage and all but one have a red base of the beak. It is thought that all are derived from the genus Amaurornis.

Protection status

Today

Rails on islands are generally considered particularly at risk because they tend to have only a limited or no ability to fly and thus are particularly vulnerable to introduced predators. Thus, at least 15 species have become extinct since the year 1600 and more than 30 are considered to be particularly vulnerable.

By 1931 the Cuba Rail in the area around Santo Tomás seemed relatively common, from then on there were no further reports until the year 1970, when deposits were discovered 65 kilometers from the Laguna del Tesoro. A census of 1998 provided new deposits in Peralta and Hata de Jicarita. Based on these findings, it is estimated that 70 to 90 birds live distributed on 230 hectares.

The total population is 50 to more than 249 adult specimens, spread over 1000 km ², estimated. Introduced mongooses and rats are likely to face serious enemies of the Rail. In November of 2001, Hurricane Michelle swept over the area. As a result, a kennel of the African catfish prey ( Clarias gariepinus ) was destroyed, and as a result found the fish make their way into the swamp. From studies of the stomach contents of trapped in the swamp catfish showing that they had eaten Moorhen ( Gallinula chloropus) and Purple Gallinule chick ( Porphyrio martinica ). At the same time, a dramatic decline in spot Coot ( Pardirallus maculatus ), King Rails ( Rallus elegans) and Carolina swamp hens ( Porzana carolina ) registered. According to Arturo Kirkconnell from the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, a decline in this species has been recorded by 50-60 % since the detection of catfish. On the basis of these findings, the Cuba Rail has now been classified as Critically Endangered.

Also fires and cutting the grass for the construction of hut roofs are possible causes for the disappearance of the Rail.

As a countermeasure, the Santo Tomás Faunal Refuge and the Laguna del Tesoro Ökotourismusgebiet been designated as a protected area.

Potential threats

The government plans to Zapata Swamp as ecotourism destination expand to bring much needed foreign exchange from tourists from all over the world into the country. Although promised the Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero an expansion in a sustainable manner, but the impact on the ecosystem by the additional people are uncertain.

The Ramsar Convention provides, however, the Zapata Swamp in the long run as a threat, since rising sea levels and global warming could reduce the flora and fauna to 2100 by 50%. In addition, climate change would lead to significantly more tropical storms and possible drying out of the swamp.