White-throated Rail
Dryolimnas cuvieri
A big, robust, rather colorful rail. The olive-green back, reddish underparts, and white throat are distinctive. Much less shy than typical rails, and sometimes quite tame. Found on the ground in forest, mangroves, moist scrub, marsh, and rice paddies. Quite vocal; most common call is a very loud, ringing series of rising “schweeet” notes. Larger than wood-rails, with a longer bill and a much larger white throat patch. Also larger than Madagascar Rail, with brighter coloration.
Identification
The white-throated rail (Dryolimnas cuvieri) or Cuvier's rail is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is a fairly large rail, and has a flightless subspecies.
Taxonomy
The nominate subspecies is found in Madagascar. A flightless subspecies (sometimes considered a distinct species), Dryolimnas (cuvieri) aldabranus (Aldabra rail), inhabits Aldabra, while the semi-flightless subspecies D. c. Abbott (Assumption rail) from Assumption Island went extinct in the early 20th century due to introduced predators. A fourth extinct flightless subspecies or descendant species is known from fossil remains on Aldabra, and anatomically was almost identical to the Aldabra rail. This subspecies was wiped out by rising sea levels during the Pleistocene, but the atoll was recolonized by the white-throated rail after it resurfaced; this population evolved in a very similar way to the extinct subspecies, eventually evolving into the modern Aldabra rail. This is one of the very few observed instances of iterative evolution, in which a distinct population is wiped out from an area but it is recolonized by members of the source population, who evolve in the same way as the extinct population.<p>It is now the last living member of the genus Dryolimnas, and the Aldabra subspecies is believed to be the last flightless bird in the Indian Ocean. It's natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest.
- Scientific name
- Dryolimnas cuvieri
- Authority
- (Pucheran, 1845)
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Dryolimnas
Range and habitat
It is found in the Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, and Seychelles.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Large thrush, adult rich brown marbled with dark marks above, pale with black scaly marks below. Larger Bassian Thrush has smaller-appearing bill, is more contrastingly marked above. In flight, Russet-tailed shows white in tail corners, absent in Bassian. The smaller wingbar has more prominent pale tips in adult Russet-tailed than Bassian. Inhabits wet forests, where it forages in leaf litter. Song a distinctive, thin “whee-doo,” falling in pitch, very unlike Bassian.
Glittering-bellied Emerald
Chlorostilbon lucidus
Small green hummingbird found in a variety of open and semiopen habitats, such as forest edges, deserts, savannas, and gardens. Visits feeders. Iridescent green body with a forked dark blue tail and dark wings. Males have a black-tipped red bill with a blue throat, while females have a white belly, black mask, and a black bill with a red base.
Indian Roller
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A brightly colored bird with various shades of blue on the wings, tails, and belly that are often more prominent in flight. Note the longitudinal white streaks on the throat and breast. Indochinese Roller has a purple-blue breast, a darker olive back, and is generally darker blue. Generally silent, but more vocal in breeding season with harsh calls. Prefers open areas, including agricultural landscapes, sitting on exposed perches including electric wires, occasionally pumping its tail slowly. Practically a resident roller with some movements in the western parts of its range.
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