Dieffenbach's rail, known in the Moriori language as meriki or mehoriki, is an extinct flightless bird in the rail family. It was endemic to the Chatham Islands. The species was formerly placed in the genus Hypotaenidia.
Region
Southwest Pacific
Typical Environment
Historically restricted to the Chatham Islands archipelago, it occupied dense coastal scrub, tussock grasslands, and forest margins. As a ground-dwelling, flightless bird, it favored thick cover and damp areas near streams, wetlands, and dune slacks. It likely foraged along edges of shrubland and open clearings for invertebrates and seeds. The species did not occur beyond the Chathams and disappeared rapidly after human arrival and the introduction of mammalian predators.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 300 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Dieffenbach's rail, known to Moriori as meriki or mehoriki, was a small, flightless rail endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. It vanished in the mid-19th century, likely due to introduced predators, habitat alteration, and human hunting. The species is known from a handful of museum specimens collected by Ernst Dieffenbach and others.
Juvenile
Head
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
flightless; runs swiftly through dense cover
Social Behavior
Likely territorial in pairs during the breeding season and otherwise solitary or in small family groups. Nests were probably placed on the ground in dense vegetation, typical of rails. Clutch size was likely small, with both parents involved in care, as in related rail species.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls were probably a series of grunts, squeaks, and harsh contact notes typical of island rails. Vocalizations were used to maintain contact in dense cover and to advertise territories, most active at dawn and dusk.
