The Jamaican wood rail, also called the Jamaican uniform rail was the

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the uniform crake found on

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. It became extinct around 1881.

Appearance

The Jamaican wood rail was a reddish-brown bird some 10 inches in length.

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.

Extinction

Already rare and threatened by

rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

s and cats, the Jamaican wood rail was ultimately driven to extinction shortly after the introduction of

small Indian mongoose The small Indian mongoose (''Urva auropunctata'') is a mongoose species native to Iraq and northern South Asia; it has also been introduced to many regions of the world, such as several Caribbean and Pacific islands. Taxonomy ''Mangusta auropun ...

s to Jamaica in 1872. The last specimens of the bird were collected in 1881.

References

External links

The Jamaican uniform rail at AviBase
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1679836

Jamaican wood rail The Jamaican wood rail, also called the Jamaican uniform rail was the nominate subspecies of the uniform crake found on Jamaica. It became extinct around 1881. Appearance The Jamaican wood rail was a reddish-brown bird some 10 inches in l ...

Endemic birds of Jamaica Extinct animals of Jamaica Extinct birds of the Caribbean