The Inaccessible Island rail (Laterallus rogersi) is a bird found only on
Inaccessible Island in the South Atlantic
Tristan archipelago. This
rail, the smallest extant
flightless bird, was
described by physician
Percy Lowe in 1923. The adult has brown plumage, a black bill, black feet, and red eyes. It occupies most habitats on the island, from the beaches to the central plateau, feeding on a variety of small invertebrates and some plant matter. Pairs are
territorial and
monogamous; both parents incubate the eggs and raise the chicks. The rail's
adaptations to living on a tiny island at high densities include a low
basal metabolic rate, small
clutch sizes, and flightlessness. Unlike many other oceanic islands, Inaccessible Island has remained free from
introduced predators, allowing this species to flourish while many other flightless rails have gone extinct. The species is nevertheless considered
vulnerable, due to the danger of a single catastrophe wiping out the small, isolated population. (Full article...)
The Inaccessible Island rail (Laterallus rogersi) is a bird found only on
Inaccessible Island in the South Atlantic
Tristan archipelago. This
rail, the smallest extant
flightless bird, was
described by physician
Percy Lowe in 1923. The adult has brown plumage, a black bill, black feet, and red eyes. It occupies most habitats on the island, from the beaches to the central plateau, feeding on a variety of small invertebrates and some plant matter. Pairs are
territorial and
monogamous; both parents incubate the eggs and raise the chicks. The rail's
adaptations to living on a tiny island at high densities include a low
basal metabolic rate, small
clutch sizes, and flightlessness. Unlike many other oceanic islands, Inaccessible Island has remained free from
introduced predators, allowing this species to flourish while many other flightless rails have gone extinct. The species is nevertheless considered
vulnerable, due to the danger of a single catastrophe wiping out the small, isolated population. (Full article...)