Calayan Rail

The Calayan - Rail ( Gallirallus calayanensis ) is a flightless or nearly flightless bird that was discovered in May 2004. Their occurrence is limited to Calayan, an island in the archipelago of the Babuyan Islands in the northern Philippines.

Description

Your nearest relative is obviously the Okinawa Rail from the island of Okinawa, which belongs to Japan. The Calayan Rail - similar to the Okinawa Rail height and physique very much.

The Calayan Rail - is about the size of a small crow and the Zebra Rail ( G. torquatus ) and thus a medium-sized Rail. She is drawn dark olive and gray, has a red bill, red legs and a very weak flight muscles.

Habitat and behavior

The species lives in areas where young trees grow in the rain forest, and near rivers. Here it is restricted to forests growing on limestone. Thus, it is highly specialized in their habitat requirements, while others Rail species whose preferred habitat young forest is also in rice fields in clearings in the forest, undisturbed high forest and can be observed in ways that Calayan - Rail is not there before. It feeds by searching the ground for food while occasionally turning leaves.

Discovery and threat status

The Calayan - Rail ( Gallirallus calayanensis ) was discovered on 11 May 2004. That they remained unknown for so long is due to that the last visit of an ornithologist dated back 100 years before the discovery of the Rail. The biologist Carmela Española heard during her visit to the island first unknown calls, which then led to an unknown dark colored Rail. Further studies along with residents of the island confirmed the assumption that the Rail science was not yet known.

That the Rail for Calayan is endemic, ie found only there, and is equal to the time specialized in their habitat requirements high, means that there are only about 10 km2 suitable for Rail habitats. Although there are only about 100-200 breeding pairs of Calayan - Rail, it is frequently in its preferred habitats, and there is no evidence so far suggests that the population could decline. As their preferred habitat for an agricultural processing is not suitable, it is hoped that the population remains stable. However, just a road built around the island, which could result in terms of the siting of more people with their pets and culture followers to the fact that the Rail is threatened.