Jamaican wood rail
The Jamaican wood rail, also called the Jamaican uniform rail was a subspecies of the uniform rail found on Jamaica. It became extinct circa 1881.[1]
| Jamaican wood rail | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Amaurolimnas |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | A. c. concolor |
| Trinomial name | |
| Amaurolimnas concolor concolor (P. H. Gosse, 1847) | |
Appearance
The Jamaican wood rail was a reddish-brown bird some 10 inches in length.[1]
Ecology
Although capable of flight, the wood rail was primarily a terrestrial bird, preferring to run to escape predators. It was originally widespread on the island, inhabiting swamps, jungle undergrowth and streambeds, to fairly high altitudes.[2]
Extinction
The Jamaican wood rail was driven to extinction by the introduction of rats, cats and mongooses to Jamaica.[1] The last specimens of the bird were collected in 1881.[3]
References
- Day, David (1989). The Encyclopedia of Vanished Species. Hong Kong: Mclaren Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-947889-30-2.
- Clive Roots (2006). Flightless Birds. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 131. ISBN 0-313-33545-1.
- David Watts; Alan R. H. Baker; Richard Dennis (1990). The West Indies: Patterns of Development, Culture and Environmental Change Since 1492. Cambridge University Press. p. 515. ISBN 0-521-38651-9.
External links
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