Nkulengu rail

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Nkulengu rail
Nkulengu rails (Himantornis haematopus) Ankasa.jpg
in Ankasa Forest Reserve, Ghana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Himantornis
Hartlaub, 1855
Species:
H. haematopus
Binomial name
Himantornis haematopus
Hartlaub, 1855
The same four birds Nkulengu rails (Himantornis haematopus) Ankasa 2.jpg
The same four birds

The Nkulengu rail (Himantornis haematopus) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It belongs to the monotypic genus Himantornis. [2]

For long, this singular rail was considered a member of a distinct subfamily Himantornithinae. This was based on the assumption that it was a sort of "living fossil", as it resembles other Gruiformes rather than other rails in many traits. But as it seems, the supposed plesiomorphies are actually atavistic or otherwise re-evolved traits in reaction to its African rainforest habitat. Its closest living relatives seem to be the Asian genera Amaurornis, Gallicrex, Megacrex , and the widespread African Aenigmatolimnas , with Megacrex and Himantornis representing ancient and ecologically quite similar lineages at the extreme ends of the group's distribution. [3] However a later genetic study found that it was basal to the radiation containing Porzana , Tribonyx , Gallinula and Fulica. [4]

It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Uganda. [1]

It is notoriously difficult to visually observe, preferring to hide, but has a loud and distinctive call often made in pairs. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gruiformes</span> Order of birds

The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail (bird)</span> Family of birds

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watercock</span> Species of bird

The watercock is a waterbird in the rail and crake family, Rallidae that is widely distributed across Southeast Asia. It is the only member of the genus Gallicrex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slaty-breasted rail</span> Species of bird

The slaty-breasted rail is a rail species native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Breeding has been recorded in July near Dehradun in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. Despite traditionally being considered part of Gallirallus, recent genetic studies have consistently placed it in the genus Lewinia, which is now formally recognised by the IUCN and IOC.

<i>Porzana</i> Genus of birds

Porzana is a genus of birds in the crake and rail family, Rallidae. Its scientific name is derived from Venetian terms for small rails. The spotted crake is the type species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invisible rail</span> Large flightless bird endemic to Indonesia

The invisible rail, Wallace's rail, or drummer rail is a large flightless rail that is endemic to the island of Halmahera in Northern Maluku, Indonesia, where it inhabits impenetrable sago swamps adjacent to forests. Its plumage is predominantly dark slate-grey, and the bare skin around its eyes, the long, thick bill, and the legs are all bright red. Its call is a low drumming sound which is accompanied by wing-beating. The difficulty of seeing this shy bird in its dense habitat means that information on its behaviour is limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flufftail</span> Genus of birds

Flufftails are small birds related to rails and finfoots. There are nine species, seven of which are distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, with the remaining two in Madagascar. The genus was long placed with the rail family Rallidae, but is now placed in the family Sarothruridae, along with three other species of wood rails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African crake</span> A bird in the rail family that breeds in most of sub-Saharan Africa.

The African crake is a small- to medium-size ground-living bird in the rail family, found in most of central to southern Africa. It is seasonally common in most of its range other than the rainforests and areas that have low annual rainfall. This crake is a partial migrant, moving away from the equator as soon as the rains provide sufficient grass cover to allow it to breed elsewhere. There have been a few records of vagrant birds reaching Atlantic islands. This species nests in a wide variety of grassland types, and agricultural land with tall crops may also be used.

<i>Dryolimnas</i> Genus of birds

The genus Dryolimnas comprises birds in the rail family. The Réunion rail, a member of this genus, became extinct in the 17th century. The white-throated rail of Aldabra is the last surviving flightless bird in the western Indian Ocean. They are mostly found on Malabar Island, but can also be found on Polymnieli Island and other islands.

<i>Amaurornis</i> Genus of birds

Amaurornis is a genus of birds in the rail family Rallidae. The species in this genus are typically called bush-hens. A monotypic subtribe, Amaurornithina, was proposed for this genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham rail</span> Extinct species of bird

The Chatham rail is an extinct flightless species of bird in the family Rallidae. It was endemic to Chatham, Mangere and Pitt Islands, in the Chatham archipelago of New Zealand. The Chatham rail was first discovered on Mangere in 1871, and 26 specimens collected there are known from museum collections. Its Māori name was "mātirakahu".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-throated rail</span> Species of bird

The grey-throated rail is a species of bird in the family Rallidae, the only member of the genus Canirallus. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser moorhen</span> Species of bird

The lesser moorhen is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is sometimes placed into the genus Gallinula. It is the only member of the genus Paragallinula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dieffenbach's rail</span> Extinct species of bird

Dieffenbach's rail, known in the Moriori language as meriki or mehoriki, is an extinct flightless species of bird from the family Rallidae. It was endemic to the Chatham Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Guinea flightless rail</span> Species of bird

The New Guinea flightless rail, also known as the Papuan flightless rail, is a species of bird in the family Rallidae, in the monotypic genus Megacrex. Sometimes however, it was included in Amaurornis or Habroptila, but this is incorrect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodford's rail</span> Species of bird

Woodford's rail is a species of bird in the family Rallidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-breasted crake</span> Species of bird

The yellow-breasted crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found on several Caribbean islands and in most of Central America and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dot-winged crake</span> Species of bird

The dot-winged crake is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarothruridae</span> Family of birds

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.

<i>Nesotrochis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Nesotrochis is a genus of extinct flightless birds that were endemic to the islands of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean. They have often been called cave rails, though they are no longer considered true rails, but an independent lineage of gruiform birds.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2020). "Himantornis haematopus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T22692256A181597957. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22692256A181597957.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "ITIS Report: Himantornis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  3. Garcia-R et al. (2014): "Deep global evolutionary radiation in birds: Diversification and trait evolution in the cosmopolitan bird family Rallidae"
  4. Garcia-R, Juan C.; Lemmon, Emily Moriarty; Lemmon, Alan R.; French, Nigel (2020-02-07). "Phylogenomic Reconstruction Sheds Light on New Relationships and Timescale of Rails (Aves: Rallidae) Evolution". Diversity. 12 (2): 70. doi: 10.3390/d12020070 . ISSN   1424-2818.
  5. Fisher, David; Demey, Ron (March 2012). "Nkulengu Rail Himantornis haematopus". Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 19 (1): 81–82. doi: 10.5962/p.309969 . ISSN   1352-481X.