Sunday 19 May
Madagascar rail (Rallus madagascariensis)
Madagascar rail fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Madagascar rail description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Gruiformes |
| Family | Rallidae |
| Genus | Rallus (1) |
Found only in the wetlands of eastern Madagascar, the Madagascar rail is a secretive bird that is rarely found in the open (3) (4). Its plumage is mostly plain brown on the body, with some dark streaks on the upperparts and upper breast, and grey on the face and throat. This rather drab colouring is somewhat enlivened by its dark red bill and legs, white undertail (2), and purple underparts (4).
- French
- Râle de Madagascar.
- Size
- Length: 25 cm (2)
More »
Top
Related species
Madagascar rail biology
The Madagascar rail is a solitary bird, preferring to stay hidden amongst the dense wetland vegetation. Indeed, often the only indicator of the Madagascar rail’s presence is its loud call, klee killee klee, made during the daytime to attract a mate (4) (5). Breeding generally occurs from August to October, with the nest constructed on the ground, hidden amongst the wetland plants (2).
The Madagascar rail’s diet mainly consists of invertebrates found within the muddy wetland sediment, which are extracted using its long, curved bill (2) (4).
TopMadagascar rail range
The Madagascar rail is endemic to Madagascar, where it is distributed throughout the east side of the island (4)
More »
Top
Species with a similar range
Madagascar rail habitat
A wetland species, the Madagascar rail occupies areas of dense, aquatic vegetation such as marshes, wet woodlands and the margins of rivers. It can be found at a range of altitudes, from sea level to elevations of up to 1,800 metres (2).
More »
Top
Species found in a similar habitat
Madagascar rail status
Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1).
Madagascar rail threats
The main threat to the Madagascar rail is the loss of its wetland habitat as a result of logging and conversion to agriculture (2). Many marshland sites in eastern Madagascar have been converted to rice fields, increasing sediment and reducing the natural vegetation that this species relies upon (6). In 2002, its population was estimated to be between 2,500 and 10,000 individuals, and it is currently believed to be declining, although further surveys are required to determine how rapidly (2).
TopMadagascar rail conservation
While there are no specific conservation measures in place at present, the Madagascar rail does occur in a number of protected areas. Nevertheless, significant portions of this species’ range remain unprotected, and threatened by habitat loss and degradation (2). The BirdLife International partnership is working to conserve the valuable, biodiverse wetlands of Madagascar, so far, focussing their efforts on important wetland areas in western Madagascar. However, it is likely that conservation efforts will also be directed towards the eastern wetlands in the future (7).
|
View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. |
Find out more
For more information about wetland conservation in Madagascar see:
- BirdLife International:
www.birdlife.org/action/ground/madagascar
Authentication
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopGlossary
- Endemic
- A species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
- Invertebrates
- Animals with no backbone.
References
- IUCN Red List (October, 2008)
http://www.iucnredlist.org - BirdLife International (October, 2008)
http://www.birdlife.org - Allaby, M. (1991) The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Zoology. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Sinclair, I. and Langrand, O. (2004) Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
- Burnie, D. (2001) Animal. Dorling Kindersley, London.
- BirdLife International (October, 2008)
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/ebas/index.html?action=EbaHTMDetails.asp&sid=111&m=0 - BirdLife International (October, 2008)
http://www.birdlife.org/action/ground/madagascar/index.html
More »Related species
Sign up to our newsletter
Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.
Get involved
ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!
Saturday 18 May
Friday 17 May
X
Close
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
X
Close
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
X
Close
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.