Wetmoreralle

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Wetmoreralle
Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Crane birds (Gruiformes)
Family : Rallen (Rallidae)
Genre : Rallus
Type : Wetmoreralle
Scientific name
Rallus wetmorei
Zimmer & Phelps , 1944

The Wetmoreralle ( Rallus wetmorei ) is a rare species of bird in the Rallen family . It is endemic to Venezuela . The specific epithet honors the American ornithologist Alexander Wetmore .

features

The Wetmoreralle reaches a size of 24 to 27 centimeters. The plumage is predominantly brown. The parting is olive-brown. A light fawn-brown stripe runs over the eyes. The reins are dark gray. The rest of the face is dull ocher brown. The top and tail are ocher brown with black-brown dashes. The upper wing coverts are more monochrome. The umbrella feathers are dark brown. The chin is whitish tan. The throat is ocher brown. The underside is ocher brown and shows no streak patterns. The lower abdomen is more pink ocher brown. The under tail-coverts can sometimes be whitish. The iris is reddish brown. The relatively straight, thin beak is dark olive. The base of the lower mandible is lighter brown. The legs are olive-brown.

Occurrence

The Wetmoreralle is limited to a small area on the north coast of Venezuela, where it has been found in a maximum of nine locations in the past and in recent years only in the eastern Falcón , in the northern Carabobo , in Aragua and in Zulia . When it was discovered, it was at least locally common. In 1944 and 1945 11 specimens were caught near Puerto Cabello / San Esteban. In May 1951, 11 specimens were collected from Tucacas. It still occurs in Tucacas, where six pairs were observed in June 1999. The last record in Falcón was in 1986 in the Reserva de Fauna Silvestre de Cuare. One specimen was spotted in the Las Peonias lagoon near Maracaibo in Zulia in 2000 . The latest records in Aragua were a pair at Playa de Cata 15 kilometers east of La Ciénaga in April 1991 and a pair each in the Henri Pittier National Park in 1991 and 1993. In Carabobo, the Wetmoreralle has not been sighted since 1945.

Habitat and way of life

The Wetmoreralle is apparently true to location and inhabits coastal mangrove forests , shallow saltwater and seasonally flooded brackish water lagoons, as well as marshland dominated by halophytic vegetation, including Batis maritima . The way of life of the Wetmoreralle has hardly been researched. The breeding season probably begins in April or May.

Existence and endangerment

BirdLife International classifies the wet moreralle in the “endangered” category and estimates the population at 250 to 1000 specimens. The main threat is the destruction of the mangrove habitats by the construction of settlements and the ongoing oil production. The Reserva de Fauna Silvestre de Cuare is at risk from illegal settlements, the construction of hotels, tourism, illegal hunting, pollution from household sewage, pesticides and mercury, a planned golf course and restrictions on the flow of water due to road construction. Development projects threaten the coastal wetlands of San Esteban and the Henri Pittier National Park. The Playa de Cata lagoon was cut off from the sea by a dam in order to open up the beach for tourism.

literature

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