38-428: See text Edithornis Pareudiastes Moorhens —sometimes called marsh hens —are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus Gallinula , Latin for "little hen." They are close relatives of coots . They are often referred to as (black) gallinules . Recently, one of the species of Gallinula was found to have enough differences to form
76-399: A family of small to medium-sized, ground-living birds. They vary in length from 12 to 63 cm (5 to 25 in) and in weight from 20 to 3,000 g (0.7 oz to 6 lb 10 oz). Some species have long necks and in many cases are laterally compressed. The bill is the most variable feature within the family. In some species, it is longer than the head (like the clapper rail of
114-517: A left distal tibiotarsus piece from the Oligo-Miocene boundary at Riversleigh , is similar to but differs in details from "G." disneyi . It cannot be said if this bird—if a distinct species—was flightless. From size alone, it might have been an ancestor of G. mortierii (see also below). In addition to paleosubspecies of Gallinula chloropus , the doubtfully distinct Late Pliocene to Pleistocene Gallinula mortierii reperta
152-614: A new genus Paragallinula with the only species being the lesser moorhen ( Paragallinula angulata ). Two species from the Australian region, sometimes separated in Tribonyx , are called "native hens" (also native-hen or nativehen). The native hens differ visually by shorter, thicker and stubbier toes and bills, and longer tails that lack the white signal pattern of typical moorhens. These rails are mostly brown and black with some white markings in plumage color. Unlike many of
190-519: A persistently high ability to disperse long distances among tropic Pacific islands, though only the latter two gave rise to flightless endemic species throughout the Pacific Basin. In examining the phylogeny of G. philippensis , although the species is clearly polyphyletic (it has more than one ancestral species), it is not the ancestor of most of its flightless descendants, revealing that the flightless condition evolved in rails before speciation
228-422: Is Swinhoe's rail , at 13 cm (5.1 in) and 25 g. The larger species are also sometimes given other names. The black coots are more adapted to open water than their relatives, and some other large species are called gallinules and swamphens. The largest of this group is the takahē , at 65 cm (26 in) and 2.7 kg (6.0 lb). The rails have suffered disproportionally from human changes to
266-470: Is a significant contributor to the rail's remarkably fast loss of flight; as few as 125,000 years were needed for the Laysan rail to lose the power of flight and evolve the reduced, stubby wings only useful to keep balance when running quickly. Indeed, some argue that measuring the evolution of flightlessness in rails in generations rather than millennia might be possible. Another factor that contributes to
304-530: Is almost certainly distinct from the Makira moorhen , as the latter cannot fly. The undescribed Viti Levu gallinule of Fiji would either be separated in Pareudiastes if that genus is considered valid, or may be a completely new genus. Similarly, the undescribed "swamphen" of Mangaia , currently tentatively assigned to Porphyrio , may belong to Gallinula / Pareudiastes . Still older fossils document
342-532: Is extinct) Crex – corn crake Lewinia – rails (4 species) Aptenorallus – Calayan rail Habroptila – invisible rail Gallirallus – weka Eulabeornis – chestnut rail Hypotaenidia – rails and woodhen (12 species of which 4 are extinct) Himantornis – Nkulengu rail Porzana – crakes and sora (3 species) Tribonyx – nativehens (2 species) Paragallinula – lesser moorhen Gallinula – moorhens (7 species of which 2 are extinct) Fulica – coots (11 species of which 1
380-540: Is extinct) Porphyrio – swamphens, gallinules and takahes (12 species of which 2 are extinct) Micropygia – ocellated crake Rufirallus – crakes (2 species) Coturnicops – rails and a crake (3 species) Laterallus – crakes and rails (13 species) Australlus See text Australlus is an extinct genus of birds in the rail family. It was described from a series of Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene fossil material found at Riversleigh in north-western Queensland , Australia. The genus
418-575: Is found in every terrestrial habitat with the exception of dry desert , polar or freezing regions, and alpine areas (above the snow line ). Members of Rallidae occur on every continent except Antarctica . Numerous unique island species are known. "Rail" is the anglicized respelling of the French râle , from Old French rasle . It is named from its harsh cry, in Vulgar Latin * rascula , from Latin rādere ("to scrape"). The rails are
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#1732798276530456-419: Is one of the best examples of parallel evolution in the animal kingdom. Of the roughly 150 historically known rail species, 31 extant or recently extinct species evolved flightlessness from volant (flying) ancestors. This process created the endemic populations of flightless rails seen on Pacific islands today. Many island rails are flightless because small island habitats without mammalian predators eliminate
494-601: The American purple gallinule , have been considered pests . Due to their tendencies towards flightlessness, many island species have been unable to cope with introduced species. The most dramatic human-caused extinctions occurred in the Pacific Ocean as people colonised the islands of Melanesia , Polynesia , and Micronesia , during which an estimated 750–1800 species of birds became extinct, half of which were rails. Some species that came close to extinction, such as
532-458: The Lord Howe woodhen , and the takahē, have made modest recoveries due to the efforts of conservation organisations. The Guam rail came perilously close to extinction when brown tree snakes were introduced to Guam , but some of the last remaining individuals were taken into captivity and are breeding well, though attempts at reintroduction have met with mixed results. The family Rallidae
570-610: The little crake ( Zapornia parva ). The wings of all rails are short and rounded. The flight of those Rallidae able to fly, while not powerful, can be sustained for long periods of time, and many species migrate annually. The weakness of their flight, however, means they are easily blown off course, thus making them common vagrants , a characteristic that has led them to colonize many isolated oceanic islands. Furthermore, these birds often prefer to run rather than fly, especially in dense habitat. Some are also flightless at some time during their moult periods. Flightlessness in rails
608-484: The Americas ); in others, it may be short and wide (as in the coots ), or massive (as in the purple gallinules ). A few coots and gallinules have a frontal shield , which is a fleshy, rearward extension of the upper bill. The most complex frontal shield is found in the horned coot . Rails exhibit very little sexual dimorphism in either plumage or size. Two exceptions are the watercock ( Gallicrex cinerea ) and
646-479: The breeding season, but are otherwise often found in sizeable flocks on the shallow vegetated lakes they prefer. The genus Gallinula was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the common moorhen ( Gallinula chloropus ) as the type species . The genus Gallinula contains five extant, one recently extinct , and one possibly extinct species : Former members of
684-421: The crakes, coots , and gallinule ; other rail species are extremely rare or endangered. Many are associated with wetland habitats, some being semi-aquatic like waterfowl (such as the coot), but many more are wading birds or shorebirds. The ideal rail habitats are marsh areas, including rice paddies , and flooded fields or open forest. They are especially fond of dense vegetation for nesting. The rail family
722-578: The environment, and an estimated several hundred species of island rails have become extinct because of this. Several island species of rails remain endangered , and conservation organisations and governments continue to work to prevent their extinction. The breeding behaviors of many Rallidae species are poorly understood or unknown. Most are thought to be monogamous , although polygyny and polyandry have been reported. Most often, they lay five to 10 eggs . Clutches as small as one or as large as 15 eggs are known. Egg clutches may not always hatch at
760-434: The evolution of multiple sizes of flightless rails on the same island as the birds diversify to fill niches. In addition to energy conservation, certain morphological traits also affect rail evolution. Rails have relatively small flight muscles and wings to begin with. In rails, the flight muscles make up only 12–17% of their overall body mass. This, in combination with their terrestrial habits and behavioral flightlessness,
798-589: The family to ordinal level as the Ralliformes. Given uncertainty about gruiform monophyly , this may or may not be correct; it certainly seems more justified than most of the Sibley-Ahlquist proposals. However, such a group would probably also include the Heliornithidae (finfoots and sungrebes), an exclusively tropical group that is somewhat convergent with grebes , and usually united with
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#1732798276530836-633: The fossils of G. disneyi as well as the rich recent and subfossil material of G. mortierii shows no evidence of such a change at all, "G." disneyi more probably represents a case of parallel evolution at an earlier date, as signified by its placement in Australlus . Rail (bird) Some 40 living, and see below . Rails (avian family Rallidae ) are a large, cosmopolitan family of small- to medium-sized terrestrial and/or semi-amphibious birds . The family exhibits considerable diversity in its forms, and includes such ubiquitous species as
874-749: The genus since the Late Oligocene onwards. The genus seems to have originated in the Southern Hemisphere , in the general region of Australia . By the Pliocene , it was probably distributed worldwide: The ancient "Gallinula" disneyi (Late Oligocene—Early Miocene of Riversleigh, Australia) has been separated as genus Australlus . Even among non- Passeriformes , this genus has a long documented existence. Consequently, some unassigned fragmentary rail fossils might also be from moorhens or native hens. For example, specimen QM F30696,
912-451: The genus: Other moorhens have been described from older remains. Apart from the 1–3 extinctions in more recent times, another 1–4 species have gone extinct as a consequence of early human settlement: Hodgen's waterhen ( Gallinula hodgenorum ) of New Zealand —which belongs in subgenus Tribonyx —and a species close to the Samoan moorhen from Buka , Solomon Islands , which
950-483: The introduction of terrestrial predators such as cats , foxes , weasels , mongooses , rats , and pigs . Many reedbed species are secretive (apart from loud calls), crepuscular , and have laterally flattened bodies. In the Old World , long-billed species tend to be called rails and short-billed species crakes. North American species are normally called rails irrespective of bill length. The smallest of these
988-415: The need to fly or move long distances. Flight makes intense demands, with the keel and flight muscles taking up to 40% of a bird's weight. Reducing the flight muscles, with a corresponding lowering of metabolic demands, reduces the flightless rail's energy expenditures. For this reason, flightlessness makes it easier to survive and colonize an island where resources may be limited. This also allows for
1026-544: The occurrence of the flightless state is a climate that does not necessitate seasonal long-distance migration; this is evidenced by the tendency to evolve flightlessness at a much greater occurrence in tropical islands than in temperate or polar islands. It is paradoxical, since rails appear loath to fly, that the evolution of flightless rails would necessitate high dispersal to isolated islands. Nonetheless, three species of small-massed rails, Gallirallus philippensis , Porphyrio porphyrio , and Porzana tabuensis , exhibit
1064-445: The other hand is considered almost flightless; it can only flutter some metres. As is common in rails , there has been a marked tendency to evolve flightlessness in island populations. Moorhens can walk very well on their strong legs, and have long toes that are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. These birds are omnivorous , consuming plant material, small rodents, amphibians and eggs . They are aggressively territorial during
1102-798: The population as an entirety, rather than many young that would exhibit less fitness. Unfortunately, with the human occupation of most islands in the past 5,000 to 35,000 years, selection has undoubtedly reversed the tolerance into a wariness of humans and predators, causing species unequipped for the change to become susceptible to extinction. In general, members of the Rallidae are omnivorous generalists. Many species eat invertebrates , as well as fruit or seedlings. A few species are primarily herbivorous . The calls of Rallidae species vary and are often quite loud. Some are whistle-like or squeak-like, while others seem unbirdlike. Loud calls are useful in dense vegetation, or at night where seeing another member of
1140-917: The rails in the Ralli. The cladogram below showing the phylogeny of the living and recently extinct Rallidae is based on a study by Juan Garcia-R and collaborators published in 2020. The genera and number of species are taken from the list maintained by Frank Gill , Pamela Rasmussen and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithological Committee (IOC). The names of the subfamilies and tribes are those proposed by Jeremy Kirchman and collaborators in 2021. Neocrex – crakes (2 species) Pardirallus – rails (3 species) Amaurolimnas – uniform crake Aramides – rails (8 species) Rallus – rails (14 species) Crecopsis – African crake Rougetius – Rouget's rail Dryolimnas – rails (2 species of which 1
1178-423: The rails, they are usually easy to see because they feed in open water margins rather than hidden in reedbeds. They have short rounded wings and are weak fliers, although usually capable of covering long distances. The common moorhen in particular migrates up to 2,000 km (1,200 mi) from some of its breeding areas in the colder parts of Siberia . Those that migrate do so at night. The Gough moorhen on
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1216-417: The same time. Chicks become mobile after a few days. They often depend on their parents until fledging, which happens around 1 month old. Some larger, more abundant rails are hunted and their eggs collected for food. The Wake Island rail was hunted to extinction by the starving Japanese garrison after the island was cut off from supply during World War II . At least two species, the common moorhen and
1254-712: The species is difficult. Some calls are territorial . The most typical family members occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes , swamps , or rivers . Reed beds are a particularly favoured habitat. Those that migrate do so at night. Most nest in dense vegetation. In general, they are shy, secretive, and difficult to observe. Most species walk and run vigorously on strong legs, and have long toes that are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings, and although they are generally weak fliers , they are, nevertheless, capable of covering long distances. Island species often become flightless , and many of them are now extinct following
1292-531: Was complete. A consequence of lowered energy expenditure in flightless island rails has also been associated with evolution of their "tolerance" and "approachability". For example, the (non-Rallidae) Corsican blue tits exhibit lower aggression and reduced territorial defense behaviors than do their mainland European counterparts, but this tolerance may be limited to close relatives. The resulting kin-selecting altruistic phenomena reallocate resources to produce fewer young that are more competitive and would benefit
1330-508: Was described, referring to the population of the Tasmanian native hen that once inhabited mainland Australia and became extinct at the end of the last ice age . It may be that apart from climate change it was driven to extinction by the introduction of the dingo , which as opposed to the marsupial predators hunted during the day, but this would require a survival of mainland Gallinula mortierii to as late as about 1500 BC. "G." disneyi
1368-476: Was erected following reassessment of the relationships of the previously described species Gallinula disneyi Boles 2005 when new material became available. The genus name comes from the Latin australis (“southern”), and rallus (“rail”). It contains two described flightless species: This Gruiformes -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This prehistoric bird article
1406-470: Was introduced (as Rallia) by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. The family has traditionally been grouped with two families of larger birds, the cranes and bustards , as well as several smaller families of usually "primitive" midsized amphibious birds, to make up the order Gruiformes . The alternative Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy , which has been widely accepted in America, raises
1444-472: Was yet another flightless native hen, indicative of that group's rather basal position among moorhens. Its time and place of occurrence suggest it as an ancestor of G. mortierii (reperta) , from which it differed mostly in its much smaller size. However, some limb bone proportions are also strikingly different, and in any case such a scenario would require a flightless bird to change but little during some 20 million years in an environment rich in predators . As
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