The buff-banded rail (''Hypotaenidia philippensis'') is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the rail family, Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-west Pacific region, including the Philippines (where it is known as tikling), New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand (where it is known as the banded rail or moho-pererū in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

), and numerous smaller islands, covering a range of latitudes from the tropics to the Subantarctic.

Description

It is a largely terrestrial bird the size of a small domestic chicken, with mainly brown upperparts, finely banded black and white underparts, a white eyebrow, chestnut band running from the bill round the nape, with a buff band on the breast. It utilises a range of moist or wetland habitats with low, dense vegetation for cover. It is usually quite shy but may become very tame and bold in some circumstances, such as in island resorts within the Great Barrier Reef region.Marchant, S.; & Higgins, P.J. (Eds). (1993). '' Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 2: Raptors to Lapwings''. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. The buff-banded rail is an omnivorous

scavenger Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding b ...

which feeds on a range of terrestrial invertebrates and small vertebrates, seeds, fallen fruit and other vegetable matter, as well as carrion and refuse. Its nest is usually situated in dense grassy or reedy vegetation close to water, with a clutch size of 3–4. Although some island populations may be threatened, or even exterminated, by introduced predators, the species as a whole appears to be safe and its conservation status is considered to be of Least Concern.

Evolution

Numerous subspecies are recognised for the buff-banded rail because of repeated dispersion of birds to islands in the Pacific, often followed by

founder effect In population genetics, the founder effect is the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. It was first fully outlined by Ernst Mayr in 1942, using ...

s and reduced potential for

gene flow In population genetics, gene flow (also known as gene migration or geneflow and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent a ...

. The

weka The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen (''Gallirallus australis'') is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is the only extant member of the genus ''Gallirallus''. Four subspecies are recognize ...

in New Zealand evolved from a lineage with common ancestry to modern buff-tailed banded rail populations, and has changed over time to become

flightless Flightless birds are birds that through evolution lost the ability to fly. There are over 60 extant species, including the well known ratites (ostriches, emu, cassowaries, rheas, and kiwi) and penguins. The smallest flightless bird is the ...

Subspecies

Described

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 ...

include:Zoonomen - Zoological Nomenclature Resource, 2006.07.04
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Gallery and media

File:Buff-banded Rail Fafa Island.jpg, Buff-banded rail, ''G. philippensis'', Fafa island, Tonga File:Buff-banded Rail LEI Jan08.jpg, East Australian race ''G. p. mellori'' File:Bul02BirdP033.jpg, Extinct Caroline Islands rail '' Porzana monasa'', left, with ''G. philippensis'' File:Gallirallus philippensis -Green Island National Park, Queensland, Australia-8a (2).jpg, Buff-banded rail at

Green Island National Park Green Island National Park is a protected area declared over a small (12 ha) cay, coral cay of Green Island (Queensland), Green Island, Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. It is known to the local Gungganyji Aboriginal peoples as Green Island, ...

, Green Island, Queensland, Australia File:Buff-banded Rail RWD.jpg, Buff-banded rail, Kiwi Birdlife Park, Queenstown, New Zealand Gallirallus philippensis MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.69.7.jpg, ''Gallirallus philippensis'' - MHNT

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q917017

buff-banded rail The buff-banded rail (''Hypotaenidia philippensis'') is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the rail family, Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-we ...

Birds of Malesia Birds of Oceania Least concern biota of Oceania