The avian family Rallidae comprise the rails, crakes, and coots. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognizes these 153 species distributed among 43 genera, 23 of which have only one species. Twenty-one of the species in the list have gone extinct since A.D. 1500; they are marked (E). [1]
This list is presented according to the IOC taxonomic sequence and can also be sorted alphabetically by common name and binomial.
Common name | Binomial name | IOC sequence |
---|---|---|
Grey-throated rail | Canirallus oculeus(Hartlaub, 1855) | 1 |
Ash-throated crake | Mustelirallus albicollis(Vieillot, 1819) | 2 |
Paint-billed crake | Mustelirallus erythrops(Sclater, PL, 1867) | 3 |
Colombian crake | Mustelirallus colombianus(Bangs, 1898) | 4 |
Zapata rail | Mustelirallus cerverai(Barbour & Peters, JL, 1927) | 5 |
Spotted rail | Pardirallus maculatus(Boddaert, 1783) | 6 |
Blackish rail | Pardirallus nigricans(Vieillot, 1819) | 7 |
Plumbeous rail | Pardirallus sanguinolentus(Swainson, 1838) | 8 |
Uniform crake | Amaurolimnas concolor(Gosse, 1847) | 9 |
Rufous-necked wood rail | Aramides axillaris Lawrence, 1863 | 10 |
Little wood rail | Aramides mangle(Spix, 1825) | 11 |
Russet-naped wood rail | Aramides albiventris Lawrence, 1868 | 12 |
Grey-cowled wood rail | Aramides cajaneus(Müller, PLS, 1776) | 13 |
Brown wood rail | Aramides wolfi Berlepsch & Taczanowski, 1884 | 14 |
Giant wood rail | Aramides ypecaha(Vieillot, 1819) | 15 |
Red-winged wood rail | Aramides calopterus Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1878 | 16 |
Slaty-breasted wood rail | Aramides saracura(Spix, 1825) | 17 |
Ridgway's rail | Rallus obsoletus Ridgway, 1874 | 18 |
Clapper rail | Rallus crepitans Gmelin, JF, 1789 | 19 |
Aztec rail | Rallus tenuirostris Ridgway, 1874 | 20 |
Mangrove rail | Rallus longirostris Boddaert, 1783 | 21 |
King rail | Rallus elegans Audubon, 1834 | 22 |
Plain-flanked rail | Rallus wetmorei Zimmer, JT & Phelps, WH, 1944 | 23 |
Virginia rail | Rallus limicola Vieillot, 1819 | 24 |
Bogota rail | Rallus semiplumbeus Sclater, PL, 1856 | 25 |
Ecuadorian rail | Rallus aequatorialis Sharpe, 1894 | 26 |
Austral rail | Rallus antarcticus King, PP, 1828 | 27 |
Water rail | Rallus aquaticus Linnaeus, 1758 | 28 |
Brown-cheeked rail | Rallus indicus Blyth, 1849 | 29 |
African rail | Rallus caerulescens Gmelin, JF, 1789 | 30 |
Madagascar rail | Rallus madagascariensis Verreaux, J, 1833 | 31 |
African crake | Crecopsis egregia(Peters, W, 1854) | 32 |
Rouget's rail | Rougetius rougetii(Guérin-Méneville, 1843) | 33 |
White-throated rail | Dryolimnas cuvieri(Pucheran, 1845) | 34 |
Reunion rail | Dryolimnas augusti Mourer-Chauviré, Bour, Ribes & Moutou, 1999 (E) | 35 |
Corn crake | Crex crex(Linnaeus, 1758) | 36 |
Snoring rail | Aramidopsis plateni(Blasius, W, 1886) | 37 |
Slaty-breasted rail | Lewinia striata(Linnaeus, 1766) | 38 |
Brown-banded rail | Lewinia mirifica(Parkes & Amadon, 1959) | 39 |
Lewin's rail | Lewinia pectoralis(Temminck, 1831) | 40 |
Auckland rail | Lewinia muelleri(Rothschild, 1893) | 41 |
Hawkins's rail | Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi(Forbes, HO, 1892) (E) | 42 |
Calayan rail | Aptenorallus calayanensis(Allen, D, Oliveros, Española, Broad & Gonzalez, 2004) | 43 |
Invisible rail | Habroptila wallacii Gray, GR, 1861 | 44 |
Weka | Gallirallus australis(Sparrman, 1786) | 45 |
Chestnut rail | Eulabeornis castaneoventris Gould, 1844 | 46 |
New Caledonian rail | Cabalus lafresnayanus(Verreaux, J & des Murs, 1860) | 47 |
Chatham Islands rail | Cabalus modestus(Hutton, FW, 1872) (E) | 48 |
Okinawa rail | Hypotaenidia okinawae(Yamashina & Mano, 1981) | 49 |
Barred rail | Hypotaenidia torquata(Linnaeus, 1766) | 50 |
Buff-banded rail | Hypotaenidia philippensis(Linnaeus, 1766) | 51 |
Guam rail | Hypotaenidia owstoni Rothschild, 1895 | 52 |
Pink-legged rail | Hypotaenidia insignis(Sclater, PL, 1880) | 53 |
Roviana rail | Hypotaenidia rovianae(Diamond, 1991) | 54 |
Woodford's rail | Hypotaenidia woodfordi(Ogilvie-Grant, 1889) | 55 |
Bar-winged rail | Hypotaenidia poeciloptera(Hartlaub, 1866) (E) | 56 |
Lord Howe woodhen | Hypotaenidia sylvestris(Sclater, PL, 1870) | 57 |
Dieffenbach's rail | Hypotaenidia dieffenbachii(Gray, GR, 1843) (E) | 58 |
Tahiti rail | Hypotaenidia pacifica(Gmelin, JF, 1789) (E) | 59 |
Wake Island rail | Hypotaenidia wakensis Rothschild, 1903 (E) | 60 |
Spot-flanked gallinule | Porphyriops melanops(Vieillot, 1819) | 61 |
Sora | Porzana carolina(Linnaeus, 1758) | 62 |
Spotted crake | Porzana porzana(Linnaeus, 1766) | 63 |
Australian crake | Porzana fluminea Gould, 1843 | 64 |
Black-tailed nativehen | Tribonyx ventralis(Gould, 1837) | 65 |
Tasmanian nativehen | Tribonyx mortierii Du Bus de Gisignies, 1840 | 66 |
Lesser moorhen | Paragallinula angulata(Sundevall, 1850) | 67 |
Dusky moorhen | Gallinula tenebrosa Gould, 1846 | 68 |
Common gallinule | Gallinula galeata(Lichtenstein, MHC, 1818) | 69 |
Common moorhen | Gallinula chloropus(Linnaeus, 1758) | 70 |
Tristan moorhen | Gallinula nesiotis Sclater, PL, 1861 (E) | 71 |
Gough moorhen | Gallinula comeri(Allen, JA, 1892) | 72 |
Makira woodhen | Gallinula silvestris(Mayr, 1933) | 73 |
Samoan woodhen | Gallinula pacifica(Hartlaub & Finsch, 1871) (E) | 74 |
Red-fronted coot | Fulica rufifrons Philippi & Landbeck, 1861 | 75 |
Horned coot | Fulica cornuta Bonaparte, 1853 | 76 |
Giant coot | Fulica gigantea Eydoux & Souleyet, 1841 | 77 |
Red-gartered coot | Fulica armillata Vieillot, 1817 | 78 |
Eurasian coot | Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 | 79 |
Red-knobbed coot | Fulica cristata Gmelin, JF, 1789 | 80 |
Mascarene coot | Fulica newtonii Milne-Edwards, 1867 (E) | 81 |
Hawaiian coot | Fulica alai Peale, 1849 | 82 |
American coot | Fulica americana Gmelin, JF, 1789 | 83 |
Andean coot | Fulica ardesiaca Tschudi, 1843 | 84 |
White-winged coot | Fulica leucoptera Vieillot, 1817 | 85 |
Allen's gallinule | Porphyrio alleni Thomson, 1842 | 86 |
Purple gallinule | Porphyrio martinica(Linnaeus, 1766) | 87 |
Azure gallinule | Porphyrio flavirostris(Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 88 |
Western swamphen | Porphyrio porphyrio(Linnaeus, 1758) | 89 |
African swamphen | Porphyrio madagascariensis(Latham, 1801) | 90 |
Grey-headed swamphen | Porphyrio poliocephalus(Latham, 1801) | 91 |
Black-backed swamphen | Porphyrio indicus Horsfield, 1821 | 92 |
Philippine swamphen | Porphyrio pulverulentus Temminck, 1826 | 93 |
Australasian swamphen | Porphyrio melanotus Temminck, 1820 | 94 |
White swamphen | Porphyrio albus(Shaw, 1790) (E) | 95 |
Marquesan swamphen | Porphyrio paepae Steadman, 1988 (E) | 65 |
North Island takahe | Porphyrio mantelli(Owen, 1848) (E) | 97 |
South Island takahe | Porphyrio hochstetteri(Meyer, AB, 1883) | 98 |
Ocellated crake | Micropygia schomburgkii(Schomburgk, 1848) | 99 |
Russet-crowned crake | Rufirallus viridis(Müller, PLS, 1776) | 100 |
Chestnut-headed crake | Rufirallus castaneiceps(Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1869) | 101 |
Swinhoe's rail | Coturnicops exquisitus(Swinhoe, 1873) | 102 |
Yellow rail | Coturnicops noveboracensis(Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 103 |
Speckled rail | Coturnicops notatus(Gould, 1841) | 104 |
Yellow-breasted crake | Laterallus flaviventer(Boddaert, 1783) | 105 |
Black rail | Laterallus jamaicensis(Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 106 |
Galapagos crake | Laterallus spilonota(Gould, 1841) | 107 |
Dot-winged crake | Laterallus spiloptera(Durnford, 1877) | 108 |
Inaccessible Island rail | Laterallus rogersi(Lowe, 1923) | 198 |
Ruddy crake | Laterallus ruber(Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1860) | 110 |
Rufous-sided crake | Laterallus melanophaius(Vieillot, 1819) | 111 |
Rusty-flanked crake | Laterallus levraudi(Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1869) | 112 |
Rufous-faced crake | Laterallus xenopterus Conover, 1934 | 113 |
Red-and-white crake | Laterallus leucopyrrhus(Vieillot, 1819) | 114 |
Grey-breasted crake | Laterallus exilis(Temminck, 1831) | 115 |
White-throated crake | Laterallus albigularis(Lawrence, 1861) | 116 |
Black-banded crake | Laterallus fasciatus(Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1868) | 117 |
Ascension crake | Mundia elpenor(Olson, 1973) (E) | 118 |
St. Helena rail | Aphanocrex podarces Wetmore, 1963 (E) | 119 |
Black crake | Zapornia flavirostra(Swainson, 1837) | 120 |
Sakalava rail | Zapornia olivieri(Grandidier, G & Berlioz, 1929) | 121 |
Ruddy-breasted crake | Zapornia fusca(Linnaeus, 1766) | 122 |
Band-bellied crake | Zapornia paykullii(Ljungh, 1813) | 123 |
Black-tailed crake | Zapornia bicolor(Walden, 1872) | 124 |
Brown crake | Zapornia akool(Sykes, 1832) | 125 |
Baillon's crake | Zapornia pusilla(Pallas, 1776) | 126 |
St. Helena crake | Zapornia astrictocarpus(Olson, 1973) (E) | 127 |
Little crake | Zapornia parva(Scopoli, 1769) | 128 |
Spotless crake | Zapornia tabuensis(Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 129 |
Kosrae crake | Zapornia monasa(Kittlitz, 1858) (E) | 130 |
Tahiti crake | Zapornia nigra(Miller, JF, 1784) (E) | 131 |
Henderson crake | Zapornia atra(North, 1908) | 132 |
Hawaiian rail | Zapornia sandwichensis(Gmelin, JF, 1789) (E) | 133 |
Laysan rail | Zapornia palmeri(Frohawk, 1892) (E) | 134 |
Slaty-legged crake | Rallina eurizonoides(Lafresnaye, 1845) | 135 |
Andaman crake | Rallina canningi(Blyth, 1863) | 136 |
Red-legged crake | Rallina fasciata(Raffles, 1822) | 137 |
Red-necked crake | Rallina tricolor Gray, GR, 1858 | 138 |
Blue-faced rail | Gymnocrex rosenbergii(Schlegel, 1866) | 139 |
Talaud rail | Gymnocrex talaudensis Lambert, 1998 | 140 |
Bare-eyed rail | Gymnocrex plumbeiventris(Gray, GR, 1862) | 141 |
Nkulengu rail | Himantornis haematopus Hartlaub, 1855 | 142 |
New Guinea flightless rail | Megacrex inepta D'Albertis & Salvadori, 1879 | 143 |
White-browed crake | Poliolimnas cinereus(Vieillot, 1819) | 144 |
Striped crake | Aenigmatolimnas marginalis(Hartlaub, 1857) | 145 |
Watercock | Gallicrex cinerea(Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 146 |
White-breasted waterhen | Amaurornis phoenicurus(Pennant, 1769) | 147 |
Plain bush-hen | Amaurornis olivacea(Meyen, 1834) | 148 |
Talaud bush-hen | Amaurornis magnirostris Lambert, 1998 | 149 |
Isabelline bush-hen | Amaurornis isabellina(Schlegel, 1865) | 150 |
Pale-vented bush-hen | Amaurornis moluccana(Wallace, 1865) | 151 |
Red rail | Aphanapteryx bonasia(de Sélys-Longchamps, 1848) (E) | 152 |
Rodrigues rail | Erythromachus leguati Milne-Edwards, 1873 (E) | 153 |
Plovers are members of a widely distributed group of wading birds of family Charadriidae. The term "plover" applies to all the members of the family, though only about half of them include it in their name.
Rails 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 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, 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 is found in every terrestrial habitat with the exception of dry desert, polar or freezing regions, and alpine areas. Members of Rallidae occur on every continent except Antarctica. Numerous unique island species are known.
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Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica, the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water.
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 a new genus Paragallinula with the only species being the lesser moorhen.
Olympic sports are sports that are contested in the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. The 2024 Summer Olympics included 32 sports; the 2022 Winter Olympics included seven sports. Each Olympic sport is represented at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by an international governing body called an International Federation (IF).
The black rail is a mouse-sized member of the rail family Rallidae that occurs in both North and South America.
The Galapagos crake, also called the Galapagos rail and Darwin's rail, is a vulnerable species of rail in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It resembles its sister species, the black rail of the Americas, from which it diverged 1.2 million years ago.
The Guam rail, known locally and in Chamorro as ko'ko', is a small, terrestrial bird endemic to Guam in the Rallidae family. They are one of the island's few remaining endemic bird species. The species became extinct in the wild in the early 1980s when biologists captured the remaining wild population to establish a breeding program. They have since been successfully introduced to the nearby Rota and Cocos islands. In 2019, they became the second bird species to be reclassified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature from Extinct in the Wild to Critically Endangered.
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Gallirallus is a genus of rails that live in the Australasian-Pacific region. The genus is characterised by an ability to colonise relatively small and isolated islands and thereafter to evolve flightless forms, many of which became extinct following Polynesian settlement.
The African rail is a small wetland bird of the rail family that is found in eastern and southern Africa.
The chestnut-headed crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The russet-crowned crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
The brown wood rail is a Vulnerable species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.
The paint-billed crake is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay, and the Galápagos Islands.
The ash-throated crake is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile.
The Australian crake , also known as Australian spotted crake, or spotted crake is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is the only species of Australian crake in the genus Porzana.
Sarothruridae is a family of small- to medium-sized ground-living birds found mostly in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa, with the genus Rallicula being restricted to New Guinea and the Moluccas. The species in this family were once considered to sit with the larger rail family Rallidae.
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