The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Rails and allies

Chlidonias

Chlidonias

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GRUIFORMES


The order Gruiformes is a collection of small to large birds which, although they generally are good fliers, are adapted for a terrestrial lifestyle, especially in wetlands. The vast bulk of the Order is made up of rails (in the family Rallidae) which are found worldwide excluding the polar regions. The other families are all very small, containing only a handful of species each.


As currently recognised, Gruiformes is comprised of two suborders (Grui and Ralli) containing six extant families between them (Trumpeters, Limpkin, and Cranes; and Sungrebes, Flufftails, and Rails). Formerly a number of other bird families were included in the Order due to perceived similarities in structure, but advances in DNA research have enabled these to be teased out and placed into other Orders which are generally unrelated to the Gruiformes themselves.



Other birds which had been included in Gruiformes at various times include:


Sun Bittern (Eurypygidae) and Kagu (Rhynochetidae), which now make up the sole living members of the Order Eurypygiformes, and will be covered in an upcoming thread comprising a seemingly-diverse assemblage of broadly-related Orders including tropicbirds, loons, penguins, and the tubenoses.


Seriemas (Cariamidae), which are now in their own Order named Cariamiformes; there is no perfect thread in which to place this Order (it contains only two living species) so they will be slotted in with the birds of prey as they are likely basal to that group: The Zoochat Photographic Guide To Birds of Prey


Bustards (Otididae), which are now considered to be related to the physically-dissimilar touracos and cuckoos, and hence are covered in a thread comprising the Otidimorphae: The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Turacos, Cuckoos, Bustards and the Hoatzin.


Mesites (Mesitornithidae), which are probably most closely related to the sandgrouse and pigeons, and hence are covered in a thread combining these three groups: The Zoochat Photographic Guide To Mesites, Pigeons And Sandgrouse


Buttonquails (Turnicidae) and the Plains Wanderer (Pedionomidae), which are now strongly placed in the Order Charadriiformes (waders) and will be covered in that thread: The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Shorebirds, Flamingos and Grebes



As always, thanks are given to all the hard-working photographers who make these threads (and the future threads) possible. The list of members whose photos have been used in this thread is here on page 5 - The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Rails and allies
 
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GRUIFORMES


Gruiformes is divided into two suborders, GRUI and RALLI. These divisions have had various names and/or status depending on the taxonomic structure of the time. When Gruiformes contained a wider range of (unrelated) bird groups the group which makes up the current Gruiformes was contained within the suborder Grues and this was divided into infraorders named Grui and Ralli. When the current structure of Gruiformes was arrived at, these became suborders rather than infraorders, and for a while Grues was used instead of Grui.

*Grui contains three families, with about 20 species in eight genera.
*Ralli contains three living families, with about 150 extant species in about 43 genera.


In total, 81 species in 31 genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries (or, over a third of the species and about half of the genera).



As with the other photographic guides for birds, I will not be using photos of taxidermy specimens except in the cases of extinct species or as a means of illustrating direct comparisons which may not be able to be shown through live photos (e.g. size differences).



Note: any references to HBW (Handbook of the Birds of the World) within the thread are to the online version, HBW Alive, due to it being more current than the print version of HBW. Note, however, that the HBW Alive website is now defunct, replaced with Cornell's Birds of the World (BOW) which has a somewhat differing taxonomy.




Suborder GRUI

PSOPHIIDAE
Trumpeters
Three to eight species in a single genus, of which two species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

ARAMIDAE
Limpkin
One species, which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

GRUIDAE
Cranes
Fifteen species in six genera, all of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Suborder RALLI

HELIORNITHIDAE
Sungrebes and Finfoots
Three species in three genera, of which two species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

SAROTHRURIDAE
Flufftails
Fifteen species in three genera, one of which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

APTORNITHIDAE
Adzebills
Two species in a single genus, both of which are now extinct (c.1000 years ago).

RALLIDAE
Rails
About 130 extant species in c.37 genera, of which 60 extant species from c.20 genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries. [The treatments for this family are diverse because taxonomists treat the genera and species in Rallidae as a game of musical chairs. There are also a large number of extinct species in this family, some of which I will be covering because they became extinct historically.]



In this thread I will cover all the families of Gruiformes except for Gruidae itself. This is because a separate thread had already been done for the cranes, so our choices were to either cover the same species again in this thread or try to work around it. Hence the name of this thread being "Rails and Allies" rather than "Gruiformes". In the following accounts I will cover firstly the two other families of Grui (the Trumpeters and the Limpkin), jump over the Gruidae with just a basic list of species, and continue on with the rest of the families in Ralli.

The Gruidae photographic guide is here: The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Cranes
 
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PSOPHIIDAE
Trumpeters
Three to eight species in a single genus, of which two species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.



Traditionally three species of trumpeters are recognised:

*Grey-winged Trumpeter Psophia crepitans, with two subspecies (crepitans and napensis).
*White-winged Trumpeter Psophia leucoptera, with two subspecies (leucoptera and ochroptera).
*Green-winged Trumpeter Psophia viridis, with four subspecies (dextralis, interjecta, obscura, and viridis).



A 2012 paper, "A palaeobiogeographic model for biotic diversification within Amazonia over the past three million years" by Ribas et al (available to read online), splits all the subspecies to create eight full species. (The paper did not give common names, so those below are modified from the HBW names):

*Grey-winged Trumpeter Psophia crepitans
*Napo Trumpeter Psophia napensis
*Ochre-winged Trumpeter Psophia ochroptera
*White-winged Trumpeter Psophia leucoptera
*Green-winged Trumpeter Psophia viridis
*Olive-winged Trumpeter Psophia dextralis
*Xingu Trumpeter Psophia interjecta
*Black-winged Trumpeter Psophia obscura



The HBW generally follows this treatment, but keeps two of the taxa back as subspecies, making six full species in total (keeping the subspecies of P. crepitans intact, and placing interjecta as a subspecies of P. dextralis).

*Grey-winged Trumpeter Psophia crepitans (including napensis)
*Ochre-winged Trumpeter Psophia ochroptera
*White-winged Trumpeter Psophia leucoptera
*Green-winged Trumpeter Psophia viridis
*Olive-winged Trumpeter Psophia dextralis (including interjecta)
*Black-winged Trumpeter Psophia obscura



In this thread I am taking a middle ground, with four species:

*Grey-winged Trumpeter Psophia crepitans (with the two subspecies crepitans and napensis)
*White-winged Trumpeter Psophia leucoptera (monotypic)
*Ochre-winged Trumpeter Psophia ochroptera (monotypic)
*Green-winged Trumpeter Psophia viridis (with the four subspecies dextralis, interjecta, obscura, and viridis).



Trumpeters are chicken-sized forest-dwelling birds of tropical northeastern South America (the family is endemic to Amazonia). They are primarily terrestrial but nest in trees. All species are predominantly iridescent black in colour, with the Grey-winged and White-winged groups having a striking paler area on the back and wings (the Green-winged group is mostly or entirely dark).
 
Grey-winged Trumpeter Psophia crepitans
Two subspecies normally recognised (crepitans and napensis). These may be split as full species under some taxonomies, but are retained as subspecies in HBW.


P. c. crepitans is found in the Guiana Shield (roughly northeastern Brazil, southern Venezuela, and the Guianas).

P. c. napensis is found in the northwestern Amazon (southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru, and far northwestern Brazil) .



Photo by @vogelcommando at Landgoed Hoenderdaell (Netherlands)

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Grey-winged trumpeter - ZooChat


Photo by @vogelcommando at Olmense Zoo (Belgium) - displaying birds

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Displaying Trumpeters - ZooChat
 
White-winged Trumpeter Psophia leucoptera
Monotypic

Two subspecies are normally recognised (leucoptera and ochroptera) but genetics suggest the latter is actually more closely related to the Grey-winged Trumpeter P. crepitans and here I have split it as a separate species.



Found in eastern Peru, central-west Brazil, and north to central Bolivia.



Photo by @devilfish at Parque de Las Leyendas (Peru)

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White-winged trumpeter, May 2016 - ZooChat


Photo by @Tomek at Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Germany)

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Pale-winged Trumpeter (Psophia leucoptera) August 2015 - ZooChat
 
Ochre-winged Trumpeter Psophia ochroptera
Monotypic

Typically treated as a subspecies of the White-winged Trumpeter P. leucoptera but genetics suggest that it is actually more closely related to the Grey-winged Trumpeter P. crepitans and here I have split it as a separate species.



Found in a relatively small area of northwestern Brazil, between the Amazon River and the lower Rio Negro.



There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.
 
Green-winged Trumpeter Psophia viridis
Four subspecies are normally recognised: dextralis, interjecta, obscura, and viridis

Three of these subspecies are split as full species in HBW (they retain interjecta as a subspecies of dextralis). Their criteria seems to mainly be based on the colour of the iridescence, and they make only an almost-offhand reference to "molecular evidence supports this". As can be seen from the distributions below, the "species" have basically just been divided up by the rivers. The 2012 paper which splits P. viridis (recognising all four subspecies as valid species) suggests that the formation of the various river systems is what caused the speciation ("A palaeobiogeographic model for biotic diversification within Amazonia over the past three million years" by Ribas et al - available to read online).

Here I have kept all the subspecies under P. viridis, although I accept that the four-species model may well be correct.


P. v. dextralis is found between the Tapajos and Toncantins Rivers. (If P. v. interjecta is separated, then dextralis is found from the Tapajos to the Xingu Rivers, and interjecta from the Xingu to Toncantins Rivers).

P. v. obscura is found east of the Toncantins River.

P. v. viridis is found between the Madeira and Tapajos Rivers.



There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.
 
ARAMIDAE
Limpkin
One species


This family contains a single species, the Limpkin Aramus guarauna of the Americas, found from the extreme southern USA to northern Argentina. They look somewhat like a cross between an ibis and a rail, and are restricted to wetland habitats where they feed primarily on water snails.

Until the 1930s the northern part of the population (southern USA, the Caribbean, and Central America) was treated as a separate species, A. pictus.



Limpkin Aramus guarauna
Four subspecies: dolosus, elucus, guarauna, pictus

The subspecies dolosus, guarauna and pictus are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


A. g. dolosus is found from southeastern Mexico to western Panama.

A. g. elucus is found on Hispaniola and formerly on Puerto Rico.

A. g. guarauna is found southwards from central Panama and throughout most of South America.

A. g. pictus is found in the extreme southern USA and some of the northern Caribbean islands (The Bahamas, Cuba, and Jamaica).




Photo by @ralph in the wild, Mexico - subspecies dolosus

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Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) - ZooChat



Photo by @Therabu in the wild, Brazil - subspecies guarauna

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Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) - ZooChat



Photo by @eggshelluk in the wild, USA - subspecies pictus

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Limpkin - ZooChat
 
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GRUIDAE
Cranes
Fifteen species in four to six genera, all of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


In this thread I am covering all the families of Gruiformes except for Gruidae itself. This is because a separate thread had already been done for the cranes, so our choices were to either cover the same species again in this thread or try to work around it. Hence the name of this thread being "Rails and Allies" rather than "Gruiformes". Below I will just list the species of Gruidae, and then move on to the suborder Ralli.


The Gruidae photographic guide is here: The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Cranes



Species of Gruidae
(Arrangement as in the Photographic Guide to Cranes thread)


Subfamily Balearicinae

Balearica
Black Crowned Crane Balearica pavonina
Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum

Subfamily Gruinae

Leucogeranus
Siberian Crane Leucogeranus leucogeranus

Antigone
Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis
White-naped Crane Antigone vipio
Sarus Crane Antigone antigone
Brolga Antigone rubicunda

Bugeranus
(May also be included in Grus)
Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus

Anthropoides
(May also be included in Grus)
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradisea
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo

Grus
Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis
Whooping Crane Grus americana
Common Crane Grus grus
Hooded Crane Grus monacha
Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis
 
HELIORNITHIDAE
Sungrebes and Finfoots
Three species in three genera, of which two species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.



This family of aquatic grebe-like birds contains three species - one in each of the major tropical zones (the Neotropics, Africa, and Asia). The Neotropical and African species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Separation into two subfamilies has been proposed: Heliornithinae for the New World genus Heliornis, and Podicinae for the Old World genera Heliopais and Podica.


Based on earlier DNA studies it had been theorised that the Sungrebe Heliornis fulica and the Limpkin Aramus guarauna are closely related to one another, and not to the Old World species of the family, but later studies refuted this and showed that Limpkins are more closely related to the cranes than to any of the finfoots.
 
Masked Finfoot Heliopais personatus
Monotypic



Found in scattered locations in south and southeast Asia, from Bangladesh and northeastern India in the west, to Vietnam in the east, and to Sumatra in the south.



There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.
 
African Finfoot Podica senegalensis
Four or five subspecies: albipectus, camerunensis, petersii, senegalensis, somereni

Only the subspecies senegalensis is represented in the Zoochat galleries.


H. s. albipectus was described from the Loango coast (northwest Angola) but is probably synonymous with petersii.

H. s. camerunensis is from the central African forest zone, in southern Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, and the northern DRC.

H. s. petersii is found from Angola and the DRC southwards to South Africa.

H. s. senegalensis is found from Senegal eastwards through to eastern Africa in Uganda, northwestern Tanzania, and Ethiopia.

H. s. somereni is from Kenya and northeastern Tanzania.



Both photos below by @Hix in the wild, Uganda - both are females of the subspecies senegalensis.

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African Finfoot - ZooChat


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African Finfoot - ZooChat
 
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Chlidonias said:
Seriemas (Cariamidae), which are now in their own Order named Cariamiformes; there is no perfect thread in which to place this Order (it contains only two living species) so they will be slotted in with the birds of prey as they are likely basal to that group
Click to expand...

Seriemas are related to falcons, but not to the other birds of prey. At first, it seemed a quite odd relationship to me, but we consider the secretary bird to be a bird of prey for many years and the seriemas are just the falconiform version of it.

Chlidonias said:
Bustards (Otididae), which are now considered to be related to the physically-dissimilar touracos and cuckoos, and hence are covered in a thread comprising the Otidimorphae
Click to expand...

The most basal known touraco (Foro panarium from the Eocene of the USA) and the basal groups of cuckoos are all terrestrial, so bustards are not that dissimilar.
 
SAROTHRURIDAE
Flufftails
Fifteen species in three genera, one of which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.


This is a small family of birds which until recently were included within the Rallidae. They are found primarily in Africa, with four species in Madagascar and another four in New Guinea. The species from the latter island (all in the genus Rallicula) were only discovered to be sarothrurids following a genetic study in late 2019 (published in 2020).


The Grey-throated Rail Canirallus oculeus of Africa was also placed in Sarothruridae when the family was created, but has since been moved back to Rallidae. (It had previously been thought to be closely-related to the species now placed in Mentocrex).
 
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Sarothrura
Nine species, none of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

I am going to include all species of this genus within one post (rather than separating them one-species-per-post) because there is little chance that more than a couple of species will ever be added to the Zoochat galleries.



All the species are very similar in general appearance, being very small and compact, with a short tail where the feathers are loose and "fluffy". Colouration in all species is plain red on the forebody and (in most species) the tail, and with the rest of the body being black or dark brown with prominent white spotting or streaking (only the Slender-billed Flufftail S. watersi lacks white markings).


The Madagascan Flufftail S. insularis and Slender-billed Flufftail S. watersi are endemic to Madagascar, while all the other species are African. They are, in general, poorly known with very patchy distribution maps.




Striped Flufftail Sarothrura affinis
(Synonym: Sarothrura lineata)
Two subspecies: affinis, antonii

S. a. affinis is found in southern and eastern South Africa, and Swaziland; while S. a. antonii is found further north from eastern Zimbabwe to southern South Sudan.


White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi
Monotypic

Known from two very distant locations in Africa: Ethiopia in the north, and Zimbabwe and South Africa in the south. It is surmised that the species is migratory, breeding in the north and flying to the south when not breeding.


Streaky-breasted Flufftail Sarothrura boehmi
Monotypic

Known from widely scattered locations across Africa, including west-central Africa, eastern Africa, and southern Africa.


Buff-spotted Flufftail Sarothrura elegans
Two subspecies: elegans, reichenovi

S. e. elegans is found across western and central Africa from Guinea to Uganda; while S. e. reichenovi is found in eastern Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa.


Madagascan Flufftail Sarothrura insularis
Monotypic

Distributed throughout eastern Madagascar.


Chestnut-headed Flufftail Sarothrura lugens
Two subspecies: lugens, lynesi

S. l. lugens is known from scattered locations across central Africa from Cameroon to Tanzania and Rwanda; while S. l. lynesi is found to the south of this range in central Angola and Zambia.


White-spotted Flufftail Sarothrura pulchra
Four subspecies: batesi, centralis, pulchra, zenkeri

S. p. batesi is found in the interior of south Cameroon; S. p. centralis throughout central Africa from Congo to Zambia; S. p. pulchra from Gambia to Cameroon; and S. p. zenkeri in coastal Cameroon and Gabon. Two further subspecies, cinnamomeus and tibatiensis, are treated as synonyms of pulchra by HBW.


Red-chested Flufftail Sarothrura rufa
Three subspecies: bonapartii, elizabethae, rufa

S . r. bonapartii is known from scattered locations across west and central Africa to Congo; S . r. elizabethae in eastern and central Africa; and S . r. rufa in the south of the range from Kenya to South Africa.


Slender-billed Flufftail Sarothrura watersi
Monotypic

Known from scattered locations in eastern Madagascar.
 
Mentocrex
Two species, one of which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

The two species of Mentocrex were formerly in the genus Canirallus but genetic studies have shown that they are not related to the "original" member of that genus (the Grey-throated Rail C. oculeus) and so were split off to their own genus.


The Mentocrex species are much larger than the members of Sarothrura (about twice the size), and are largely dark brown in colour rather than red and black.



Tsingy Wood Rail Mentocrex beankaensis
Monotypic


Found in a small area of west-central Madagascar, but apparently known only from an adult male and a female fledgling. May be conspecific with M. kioloides.



Madagascan Wood Rail Mentocrex kioloides
Two subspecies: berliozi, kioloides


The nominate subspecies is found through much of eastern Madagascar, while berliozi is found in a small area of northwestern Madagascar (Sambirano).


Photo by @Therabu in the wild, Madagascar

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Madagascar forest rail (Mentocrex kioloides) - ZooChat
 
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Rallicula
Four species, none of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


This genus was formerly included within the Rallidae ("true" rails) but a genetic study published in 2020 (Phylogenomic Reconstruction Sheds Light on New Relationships and Timescale of Rails (Aves: Rallidae) Evolution) showed them to actually be sarothrurids, and being endemic to the mountains of New Guinea are the only (known) species in that family to not be from Africa or Madagascar.


The genus has also previously been combined with Rallina (which also has four species) which the genetics show do belong in Rallidae.



Forbes' Forest Rail Rallicula forbesi
Four subspecies: dryas, forbesi, parva, steini.

R. f. dryas is from the mountains of Huon Peninsula; R. f. forbesi is from southeastern New Guinea, from the Herzog Mountains to the Owen Stanley Mountains; R. f. parva is from the Mount Mengam in the Adelbert Range; and R. f. steini is from central New Guinea, from the Weyland Mountains to the Bismarck Mountains.


White-striped Forest Rail Rallicula leucospila
Monotypic.

Found in the mountain ranges of Tamrau, Arfak, Wandammen, and Kumawa.


Mayr's Forest Rail Rallicula mayri
Two subspecies: carmichaeli and mayri.

R. m. carmichaeli is from the Foja, Torricelli and Bewani Mountain ranges; and R. m. mayri is from the Cyclops Mountains.


Chestnut Forest Rail Rallicula rubra
Three or four subspecies: klossi, rubra, subrubra, telefolminensis.

R. r. klossi is from west-central New Guinea, from the Weyland Mountains to the Oranje Mountains; R. r. rubra is from the Arfak Mountains; R. r. subrubra is from the Lake Habbema region of the Snow Mountains (but is often combined into R. r. klossi); and R. r. telefolminensis is from the Victor Emanuel Mountains and the Hindenburg Mountains.
 
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APTORNITHIDAE
Adzebills
Two species in a single genus, both of which are now extinct.


The two species in this family were endemic to New Zealand, with one species on each of the main islands, Aptornis otidiformis on the North Island and Aptornis defossor on the South Island. They became extinct after the arrival of humans to the country around a thousand years ago. Generally in this thread I won't be covering subfossil species such as these, but the adzebills are an entire modern family of the Gruiformes which would otherwise be omitted.

Adzebills stood around a metre tall with an estimated weight between 15-20kg, and had a very large bill which was presumably used for digging. Chemical analysis of their bones show that they were predators.


Their bones were originally thought to be from small moa when first discovered in the late 1800s and subsequently they have been associated with a few different birds, most notably the Kagu. The most common taxonomic opinion has been that the Adzebills, Kagu, and Sun Bittern formed a group of closely-related Gondwanan birds. However the most recent genetic studies show them to be rails (broadly speaking), and that their closest living relatives are the tiny flufftails.

Paper: Mitochondrial Genomes from New Zealand’s Extinct Adzebills (Aves: Aptornithidae: Aptornis) Support a Sister-Taxon Relationship with the Afro-Madagascan Sarothruridae



Photo by @Chlidonias at the Canterbury Museum (New Zealand) - composite skeleton of the South Island species Aptornis defossor. The appearance of the species is not known in life.

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Skeleton of a South Island Adzebill (Aptornis defossor) - ZooChat
 
RALLIDAE
Rails
About 130 extant species in c.37 genera, of which 60 species from c.20 genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries.



The Rallidae is a large family of terrestrial birds found almost worldwide excluding the polar regions and arid deserts. Although typically associated with wetlands, many species live in non-aquatic habitats such as forests and grasslands. They all have the same basic form, with a compact often laterally-compressed body, short broad wings, and usually have relatively long legs and toes. The shape of the bill is extremely variable, however, from thin and pointed to deep and narrow, and from very short through to very long. Colouration of the plumage is generally structured for camouflage purposes, being in duller hues (especially shades of brown) and often with complex striping, banding, or spotting to break up the bird's outline. Some species, in contrast, are very brightly coloured, notably the swamphens of the genus Porphyio which are mostly coloured in shades of blue and purple. Most species are monomorphic (i.e. there are no visual differences between the sexes).



Prior to human arrival, rails formed a ubiquitous component on oceanic islands. It is almost paradoxical that birds which seem so reluctant to fly have spread so widely through tiny specks of land across oceans. On islands they often developed into flightless species in isolation from continental predators, a change apparently made easier due to their normal mode of life being as ground-dwelling skulkers. Almost all the flightless rails have become extinct since humans colonised their island homes - there are now only about fifteen extant flightless species - but based on the fact that almost every oceanic island for which palaeontological work has been done has revealed one (or usually more than one) species in subfossil deposits, it is estimated that the number of recently-extinct species is at least in the hundreds and possibly in the thousands. In 1995 palaeontologist David Steadman made an estimate of human-caused extinctions of 2000 species of birds in the Pacific Ocean alone, "a majority of which were species of flightless rails" (in "Prehistoric Extinctions of Pacific Island Birds: Biodiversity Meets Zooarchaeology").



In the following accounts I will provide a brief list of insular genera which are known to have become entirely extinct through human agency (i.e. most particularly those which have been documented in living form before extinction, but also those which are known to have been eliminated relatively recently by pre-European human populations); and in the accounts of each extant genus I will make note of any other extinct species.
 
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