Hawaii alley
| Hawaii alley | ||||||||||
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Hawaiianalle ( Porzana sandwichensis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Porzana sandwichensis | ||||||||||
| ( Gmelin , 1789) |
The Hawaiian Reel ( Porzana sandwichensis ) is an extinct flightless bird that was found in Hawaii and possibly Molokai .
Appearance
There was a light ( P. sandwichiensis ) and a dark form ( P. millsi ). Since the place and time of origin of the museum pieces are not sufficiently known, it is unclear whether they are two separate species or color variants of the same species.
P. millsi was about 14 cm long, had a brown skull with a gray tinge. The cheeks are deep reddish brown, the reins tan, the ear covers gray. The deep red-brown breast turns into a gray chocolate brown on the belly, flanks and tail. The back is dark reddish brown, further down with darker feathers.
P. sandwichensis was almost 13 cm long, lighter than millsi with clearly black feathers in the middle of the back fletching .
Way of life
The flightless Hawaiian reel occurred in Hawaii and possibly also in Molokai. They lived in open grasslands and bushes directly below the rainforests and similar biotopes in forest clearings.
Time and cause of extinction
The rail was last observed alive in 1884 or possibly 1893. The exact reason the Hawaiian Reel became extinct is unknown. When the mongoose , which were at times blamed for this, were introduced to Hawaii in 1893, the bird was almost extinct. Mongooses were introduced in 1883 and are therefore unlikely to be the cause for the same reason. Hunted by rats, cats, dogs, and humans are more likely causes of extinction.
The closest relative of the rail is the South Sea Moorhen ( Porzana tabuensis ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Zapornia sandwichensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed November 13, 2011th
- ↑ a b c d e Dieter Luther: The extinct birds of the world. 4th edition, unchanged reprint of the edition from 1986. Westkarp-Wiss, Magdeburg / Spektrum Akad. Verlag, Heidelberg 1995
- ↑ Beth Slikas , Storrs L. Olson, Robert C. Fleischer: Rapid, independent evolution of flightlessness in four species of Pacific Island rails (Rallidae): an analysis based on mitochondrial sequence data. In: Journal of Avian Biology 33 (1), 2002, pp. 5-14. doi : 10.1034 / j.1600-048X.2002.330103.x .
