Kingdom Animalia Class Aves Family Rallidae Rank Subspecies | Phylum Chordata Order Gruiformes Genus Aramides | |
Similar Uniform crake, Kosrae crake, Puerto Rican parakeet, Rodrigues rail, Bar‑winged rail | ||
The Jamaican wood rail, also called the Jamaican uniform rail was a subspecies of the uniform rail found on Jamaica. It became extinct circa 1881.
Contents
Appearance
The Jamaican wood rail was a reddish-brown bird some 10 inches in length.
Ecology
Although capable of flight, the Wood Rail was primarily a terrestrial bird, preferring to run to escape predators. It was originally widespread on the island, inhabiting swamps, jungle undergrowth and streambeds, to fairly high altitudes.
Extinction
The Jamaican wood rail was driven to extinction by the introduction of rats, cats and mongooses to Jamaica. The last specimens of the bird were collected in 1881.
References
Jamaican wood rail Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA