| Laysan Rail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Zapornia |
| Species: | Z. palmeri |
The Laysan Rail was a flightless bird endemic to Laysan Island. They were a tiny bird that fell into extinction.
Appearance[]
Laysan Rails were 6-inch long birds with short tails (described to be only 25.4 mm in length). The wings are short and rounded and are only about 54 mm long. They have 8 primaries, which is less than the average of 9-10. Their legs and feet were large in proportion to body size. Their 18 mm bill was straight and stout. This rail's feet and bill were green and their irises were described to be ruby red. They had mouse grey chests. Their back was pale brown with chocolate or russet brown shaft streaks. The scapulars, flanks, and sides were described to be sandy brown, while the top of the head was pale brown. On the side of the head, there would be a line over each eye, and their throat is slate grey.
Occurrence[]
Laysan Rails were native to Laysan Island. A similar bird was also seen on nearby Lisianski Island.
Laysan Rails were introduced to Pearl and Hermes Reef and Eastern Island in the Midway Atoll in 1891 and 1913. From there, they were introduced to Sand Island in 1910. Failed introductions were reported in Lisianski and the main Hawaiian islands.
Life History[]
Diet[]
The Laysan Rail was an opportunist that fed mainly on invertebrates such as moths, Neoscatella sexnotata (brine flies), blowflies, and their larvae; plant leaves, seeds, and eggs and carcasses of seabirds were eaten when they were available.
Nesting[]
Not much known is about the nesting behavior of the Laysan Rail. The nest sites of the Laysan Rail were seen on the ground or matted vegetation, or in tussocks of grass. The structure of their nests were described to be small or bulky, usually roofed over by vegetation, being built in sedges (makaloa [Cyperus laevigatus]), or those of a more “pretentious” type being placed “near the ground in big grass tussocks [Eragrostis]”. Most Laysan Rail nests were placed at end of cleverly camouflaged tunnel or runway about 13–15 cm long partly built into nest. The nest of the Laysan Rail was hollowed out of mass of dried grass leaves and consisted of a roundish cavity lined above and on all sides with finer, soft, shredded leaves, sometimes mixed with small amount of down from young albatrosses.
The clutch size of Laysan Rail eggs were both given by Fisher and F. C. Hadden as from 2 to 3 eggs, though a clutch of 4 was reported by W. Donagho. Fisher reported one female that would permit herself to be lifted off nest and would return. Most Laysan Rails collected were males, which implies that females incubate on the nests. As reported by F. C. Hadden (in Bailey 1956a: 90), young Laysan Rails were taught to forage on their own by their parents, “which carefully guard it for the first month”.