Everything about The New Caledonian Rail totally explained
The
New Caledonian Rail (
Gallirallus lafresnayanus) is a large and drab flightless rail that's found on the island of
New Caledonia in the Pacific. It is a dull brown above, with grey underparts, and has a yellowish, downward-curving bill. No one knows what it sounds like and it isn't even known if it's a
nocturnal or
crepuscular rail.
This cryptic rail is only known from seventeen specimens taken between 1860 and 1890 on New Caledonia. This bird is supposed to live in evergreen forests and seems to have moved higher up on the island to escape introduced predators. Its diet consists of
invertebrates, including earthworms.
Though the bird hasn't been confirmed since 1890, unconfirmed reports from the 1960s and 1984 say that some still live in the higher montane forests. A survey in 1998 produced no firm evidence from hunters or fieldwork. However, many still believe it persists in small numbers.
This bird was host to a species of
parasite, the
phtilopterid louse Rallicola piageti. This isn't believed to have occurred on any other bird species
(External Link
). Hence,
R. piageti may be
coextinct today (May 1990).
The binomial commemorates the French ornithologist
Frederic de Lafresnaye.
Further Information
Get more info on 'New Caledonian Rail'.
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