From Opus

Alternative names: Gilbert Island Rail; Gilbert Rail; Lord Howe Island Rail; Lord Howe Woodhen

Gallirallus sylvestris

Photo by ptilinopus
Mt. Gower, Lord Howe Island, Feb. 1980

[edit] Identification

Flightless. Olive-brown in colour with bright chestnut wings. The long curved bill is pink grey, the legs are dark grey and the eyes are red.

About 130 birds are known to exist in the wild, with some more in a captive breeding program.

[edit] Distribution

Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean, 600km (373 miles) east of the Australian mainland.

[edit] Taxonomy

A monotypic species.

[edit] Tricholimnas vs. Gallirallus

Formerly placed in the monotypic genus Tricholimnas, the Lord Howe Rail (as T. sylvestris) was later found to be synonymous with the name Gilbert Rail (G. conditicius), of which both common and scientific names were dropped for G. sylvestris.

[edit] Habitat

Sub-tropical forests. Threatened by human activities and introduced predators including the Australian Masked Owl

[edit] Behaviour

Diet includes earthworms, crustaceans, fruit, and the eggs of shearwaters and petrels.

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID