Buff Banded Rail

The buff-banded rail is an omnivorous feeder with an extremely varied diet that includes worms, molluscs, crustaceans, insects, spiders, small fish, amphibians, bird and turtle eggs, chicks of other birds, carrion, fruits, seeds and other plant matter (2). Although known to feed at all times of day, this rail generally concentrates its efforts around dusk and dawn (2) (3). Most prey is captured by a quick stab with a slightly open bill, or alternatively it will peck at food items such as snail shells until they crack open (2). Breeding occurs at different times of the year in various parts of the buff-banded rail's range, but has been recorded year round in the tropics. The nest is built in, or under, dense vegetation such as long grass, reeds, rushes, shrubs and trees. The female usually lays between four to eight eggs in the nest, which are subsequently incubated by both parents for around 18 to 19 days before hatching. The chicks are fed and cared for by both parents until they are evicted from the nest at five to nine weeks old. At two months old, the chicks are able to fly, and probably breed when just a year old (2).

There are currently no conservation measures in place for the species as a whole, but efforts are being made to protect threatened buff-banded rail populations in parts of its range. For instance, subsequent to the Australian Government's classification of the Cocos buff-banded rail (G. p. andrewsi) as Endangered, a recovery plan has been established for this subspecies. This proposes the continued protection of the surviving population, and the eradication of rats and cats from another suitable island in the atoll, with the view to carrying out a re-introduction program (5).

With a global distribution comprising numerous islands, the buff-banded rail exhibits substantial geographic variation, evidenced in the recognition of up to 26 subspecies. However, all the subspecies share a number of common traits that distinguish the species, as a whole, from other similar looking rails (2). The head is distinctly patterned with chestnut and grey, while the upperparts and wing-feathers are variably spotted and barred rufous, blackish and white (2) (3). The chin is white, the throat grey, the breast normally banded buff, and the underparts intricately barred black and white. Both sexes have a similar plumage, a pink bill, and pinkish-grey legs, but the female may be slightly smaller than the male. Juveniles are duller than the adults, with a less distinct head pattern and a grey-black bill (2).

Found in and around a wide range of wetland habitats including marshes, swamps, lakes, pans, rivers, estuaries, lagoons, mangrove swamps, salt-marsh and mudflats, and generally favours areas with dense vegetation such as tall grass, rushes and reeds (2).

The buff-banded rail occurs in Southeast Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, from the Philippines south to New Zealand, and east to Samoa (2) (3).

Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).

Although the buff-banded rail is not globally threatened (4), several subspecies have either already become extinct or are extremely vulnerable in the wild (2). In particular, the subspecies Gallirallus philippensis andrewsi on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands has been extirpated by cats, rats, hunting and habitat destruction from all but one island in the atoll where the population is estimated to number just 850 to 1000 individuals (2) (5).

Gallirallus philippensis (Linnaeus, 1766)

MATERIAL.—Pindai Cave: right femur, left tibiotarsus, left tarsometatarsus.

Gilles Cave, upper layer: right and left coracoids; 3 complete and 1 fragmentary right humeri; 3 fragmentary left humeri; 6 complete and 5 fragmentary right femora; 6 complete and 6 fragmentary left femora; 4 complete and 13 fragmentary right tibiotarsi; 4 complete and 11 fragmentary left tibiotarsi; 12 complete and 3 fragmentary right tarsometatarsi; 3 complete and 3 fragmentary left tarsometatarsi.

MEASUREMENTS (mm; means in parentheses).—Coracoid: length, 22.0, 21.8. Humerus: length, 43.1. Femur: length, 42.2–49.8 (45.7; n = 12). Tibiotarsus: length, 59.7–69.5 (62.9; n = 8). Tarsometatarsus: length, 37.2–41.1 (38.8; n = 7).

COMPARATIVE MATERIAL.—Gallirallus philippensis, 1 USNM (Philippines), 2 MNHN (New Caledonia).

STATUS.—Extant, common in New Caledonia; species widespread.

MATERIAL.—Pindai Cave: a juvenile skull (tentatively referred), tip of rostrum, right mandibular articulation, right quadrate, 2 sterna, right coracoid, right ulna, left carpometacarpus, right femur, left tibiotarsus, right tarsometatarsus.

Pindai II: 1 complete pelvis.

Gilles Cave, lower layer: tip of rostrum, left coracoid, proximal end of right humerus.

Gilles Cave, upper layer: distal end of right tarsometatarsus. Kanumera: 238 very fragmentary bones including rostrum, mandibles, quadrates, scapulae, coracoids, humeri, carpometacarpi, femora, tibiotarsi, fibulae, tarsometatarsi, and vertebrae. Additional collections from Kanumera contain much good material of this species that is not included here (Rich et al., 1981).

MEASUREMENTS (mm; from Pindai Cave specimens only).—Cranium: length, 35.7; maximum width, 22.2; minimum width, 11.1. Mandible: width of articular facet, 7.0; depth of articular facet, 6.6. Quadrate: height, 10.7; depth from orbital process, 10.7. Sternum: maximum width, 24.5; minimum width, 10.7. Coracoid: width at sternal end, 7.8. Ulna: length, 45.3. Carpometacarpus: length, 35.0. Pelvis: length, 66.6; preacetabular portion, 36; length of synsacrum, 57.2; maximum width, 31.6. Femur: length, 70.8; proximal width, 14.8; proximal depth, 12.5; width of shaft at midpoint, 6.4; distal width, 14.3; depth of inner condyle, 10.0; depth of outer condyle, 13.0. Tibiotarsus: distal width, 10.4; depth of inner condyle, 10.7; depth of outer condyle, 10.9. Tarsometatarsus: length, 62.7; proximal width, 10.2; proximal depth, 9.8; width of shaft at midpoint, 4.3; distal width, 10.7; distal depth, 7.4.

COMPARATIVE MATERIAL.—A tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus found in the Paris Museum (MNHN) among the old Alphonse Milne-Edwards comparative collection; evidently removed from a skin.

STATUS.—Extant?, endemic species; extremely rare if not extinct.