Hawaiian rail

The Hawaiian rail, Hawaiian spotted rail, or Hawaiian crake is an extinct species of diminutive rail that lived on Big Island of Hawaiʻi.

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Distribution

Region

Hawaiian Islands

Typical Environment

Formerly restricted to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, it occupied dense grasslands, sedge beds, and shrubby edges of wetlands and seasonal marshes. It foraged along the margins of wet meadows and in thick ground cover, where it could remain concealed. The species likely used natural openings in ohia–metrosideros-dominated habitats and lowland grasslands influenced by early agriculture. As with many island rails, it showed a preference for areas with dense understory that provided both food and protection from predators.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 1800 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Characteristics

Size20–23 cm

Wing Span32–36 cm

Male Weight0.05 kg

Female Weight0.05 kg

Life Expectancy5 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

Also called the Hawaiian spotted rail or Hawaiian crake, this diminutive rail was endemic to the Island of Hawaiʻi and is now extinct. It was a secretive ground-dweller that likely suffered rapid declines from habitat alteration and introduced predators following human settlement. Historical accounts suggest it could fly short distances but preferred to run through dense cover. Little is known from life; most details come from a handful of specimens and early observers.

Gallery

Dark individual

Specimen painted by William Ellis while accompanying Captain James Cook on his third voyage (1776–78)

Behaviour

Temperament

secretive and skulking

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats; reluctant flier

Social Behavior

Typically encountered singly or in pairs, especially during the breeding season. Likely monogamous, nesting on the ground in dense vegetation with a small clutch typical of rails. Chicks were precocial and followed adults through cover shortly after hatching.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Vocalizations were described as soft, repetitive peeps and thin squeaks, with occasional harsher scolds when alarmed. Calls carried poorly, suited to close-range communication within dense vegetation.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Hawkins's rail

Hawkins's rail, also called the giant Chatham Island rail or in Moriori as mehonui, is an extinct species of flightless rail. It was endemic to the Chatham Islands east of New Zealand. It is known to have existed only on the main islands of Chatham Island and Pitt Island. Hawkins's rail was the largest terrestrial bird native to the Chatham Islands, around 40 centimetres (16 in) tall and weighing about 2 kilograms (4.4 lb). It had a long, downward curving beak. Historic accounts likely referring to the bird by the name "mehonui" suggest that it was red-brown in colour, and it has been compared to the weka in ecological habits, using its beak to probe decaying wood for invertebrates. Hawkins's rail likely became extinct due to overhunting by the islands native inhabitants, the Moriori, and the bird is known from skeletal remains found in their kitchen middens.

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Heart-spotted woodpecker

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Heermann's gull

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