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.
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
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigra
Fairly common sea duck; feeds by diving. Breeds on tundra lakes; winters at sea in coastal bays, estuaries, harbors. Rarely seen inland on fresh water, mainly during migration periods. Occurs locally in flocks of hundreds, but also found as singles and small groups. Male distinctive: wholly black with raised knob at base of bill, yellow wedge on top of bill. Female dark brown overall with pale cheeks. In flight looks all-dark, often flying in rather tight groups low to fairly high over the sea.
Swainson's Sparrow
Passer swainsonii
A drab sparrow of northeastern Africa. The head and underparts are gray, the wing and back are brown, and the rump is rufous. Generally common within its range in all habitats except closed-canopy forest. Fond of human habitation. Very similar to Northern Gray-headed Sparrow, but there is little overlap in range, and Swainson’s has darker underparts. Also very similar to Parrot-billed Sparrow, but slightly smaller and slimmer-billed, with paler underparts. The call is a ringing “churp.”
Gray-throated Babbler
Stachyris nigriceps
A medium-sized brown babbler with a streaked crown and an eye-catching white spot below the eye. Forages in forest undergrowth and dense scrub in edges and secondary growth, often with other species. Frequently visits feeders set up near blinds. Song is a surprisingly high, shaking whistle. Calls include dry chatter and buzzy, descending whistles.
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