Kingdom Animalia Scientific name Rallus Higher classification Rallidae Order Gruiformes | Family Rallidae Phylum Chordata Rank Genus | |
Lower classifications Water rail, Clapper rail, Virginia rail, King rail, Ridgway's rail |
New zealand birds banded rail rallus philippensis
Rallus is a genus of wetland birds of the rail family. Sometimes, the genera Lewinia and Gallirallus are included in it. Six of the species are found in the Americas, and the three species found in Eurasia, Africa and Madagascar are very closely related to each other, suggesting they are descended from a single invasion of a New World ancestor.
Contents
- New zealand birds banded rail rallus philippensis
- Koko ica rallus aguaticus water rail croatia bird
- Living species
- Fossil record
- Formerly in Rallus
- References
These are slim, long-billed rails with slender legs. Their laterally flattened bodies are an adaptation to life in wet reedbeds and marshes, enabling them to slip easily through the dense semi-aquatic vegetation. Typically these birds have streaked brown upperparts, blue-grey on the face or breast, and barred flanks. Only the African rail has a plain back, and the plain-flanked rail lacks any blue-grey in its plumage and has no flank bars.
Three endemic South American species are endangered by habitat loss, and the Madagascan rail is becoming rare.
Koko ica rallus aguaticus water rail croatia bird
Living species
Fossil record
Formerly in Rallus
"R." sumiderensis apparently refers to prehistoric remains of the Zapata rail (Cyanolimnas cerverai).