Bar-winged Rail

Fiji Rail ( Nesoclopeus poecilopterus )

The Fiji browed binding wing Rail ( Nesoclopeus poecilopterus ) is a most likely extinct flightless bird of the Fiji island of Viti Levu.

Appearance

The Fiji Rail was 36.5 cm long. She had an orange or brownish yellow bill with yellowish white lace, which is longer than the head. The yellow or gray- white legs and toes were short and strong, much larger than in the banded Rail ( Gallirallus philippensis ). 1 2

She was probably unable to fly and had rounded, fairly soft wings with well-developed stems of the flight feathers. The primaries were broadly rounded and at the top. The tail feathers were rather stunted and had thin Federschäfte. 1

The blackish coverts were irregular and indistinct brown banded. Primaries and wing coverts were maroon and thereby quergebändert black and light brown in almost its entire length. The under wing-coverts were black and each have 3 to 4 white edge spots. 1

The top and tail of the bird had a dark brown color, which was something in maroon. The entire bottom, the sides of the head, neck and sides of the neck and a faded line on the temples was slate gray. The sides of the chest, thighs and under tail-coverts were darker, more blackish. The feathers of the abdomen and Flankenbefiederung had whitish tips. The reins were brown and almost bald. Chin and throat were white. The iris was light brown. 1

Lifestyle and inventory

The Fiji Rail was because it was last in 1890 proved to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1973 alive. Meanwhile, it is considered to be extinct since 1994. 2 3

She lived in the Fiji Islands Viti Levu and Ovalau, where she lived in swamps and dense taro fields. She was a very shy, hiding living bird, which has never been observed flying. 1 2

The birds were breeding from October to December in a nest, which was built from sedges on the ground. The nest consisted of about six 50 × 35 mm large umber and cream-colored eggs with purple or dark blood-red spots. 1

Swell

  • 1 Dieter Luther: The extinct birds of the world. 4th edition, unchanged reprint of the 1986 edition of Magdeburg. Westkarp -Wiss and Heidelberg: Spektrum Akad publisher. 1995
  • 2 Trevor H. Worthy: The fossil rails ( Aves: Rallidae ) of Fiji with descriptions of a new genus and species. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand Volume 34, Number 3, September 2004, pp. 295-314
  • 3 BirdLife International 2004. Nesoclopeus poecilopterus. In: . IUCN 2007 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 20 September 2007.
  • Rail birds
  • This recently extinct bird
  • Viti Levu
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