Fiji railroad

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Fiji railroad
Nesoclopeus.poecilopterus.ofgh.jpg

Fijian rail ( Nesoclopeus poecilopterus )

Systematics
Sub-stem : Vertebrates (vertebrata)
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Crane birds (Gruiformes)
Family : Rallen (Rallidae)
Type : Fiji railroad
Scientific name
Nesoclopeus poecilopterus
( Hartlaub , 1866)
Swallow-wing rail egg

The Fijian rail or bandy-wing rail ( Nesoclopeus poecilopterus ) is a most likely extinct flightless bird from the Fijian island of Viti Levu .

Appearance

The Fiji rail was 36.5 cm long. It had an orange or brownish-yellow beak with a yellowish-white tip, which is longer than the head. The yellow or gray-white legs and toes were short and strong, much larger than those of the common rail ( Gallirallus philippensis ). 1 2

It was probably flightless and had rounded, fairly soft wings with well-developed flight-feather shafts. The wings of the hand were broad and rounded at the tip. The tail feathers were rather stunted and had thin feather shafts. 1

The blackish under tail-coverts were irregularly and indistinctly banded in brown. The wings of the hand and the wing coverts were chestnut brown and almost all of their length was cross-banded with black and light brown. The under wing-coverts were black and each had 3 to 4 white spots on the edge. 1

The top and tail of the bird were a dark brown in color that blended slightly into maroon. The entire underside, the sides of the head, neck and neck and a faded line on the temples were slate gray. The sides of the chest, thighs and under tail-coverts were darker, more blackish. The feathers of the belly and flank fletching had whitish tips. The reins were brown and almost bare. The chin and throat were whitish. The iris was light brown. 1

Way of life and existence

The Fiji railroad, as it was last recorded in 1890, was considered extinct until it was rediscovered alive in 1973. It has since been considered extinct again in 1994. 2 3

She lived on the Fiji islands of Viti Levu and Ovalau, where she inhabited swamps and dense taro fields. It was a very shy bird that lived in hiding and was never seen in flight. 1 2

The birds brooded from October to December in a nest made of sedge on the ground. The clutch consisted of about six 50 X 35 mm umber and cream-colored eggs with purple or dark blood-red spots. 1

literature

  • Gustav Hartlaub: On Five New Species of Birds from the Feejee Islands . In: The Ibis . tape 2 , no. 6 , 1866, pp. 171-173 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).

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