| Inaccessible Island Rail | ||||||||||||||
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| Atlantisia rogersi |
The Inaccessible Island Rail Atlantisia rogersi Lowe, 1923 is a small bird of the rail family, Rallidae.
It is found only on Inaccessible Island in the Tristan Archipelago, and is notable for being the smallest extant flightless bird in the world. Unlike many other islands, Inaccessible Island has remained free from introduced predators, allowing this species to flourish while many other flightless birds, including the even smaller Stevens Island Wren, have perished.
This rail has an average weight of just 30 grams, and a length of 17 centimeters. They are a dark rusty-brown above and dark grey below, with a short black bill and a red eye.
This rail is found throughout Inaccessible Island, but prefers grassland and open fern-bush. Its diet includes earthworms, moths, berries, and seeds.
A clutch of two eggs is laid between October and January; chicks are vulnerable to predation by the Tristan Thrush.
