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• Conservation Status
• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Distribution
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes
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Overview:

Extinct

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List: EX Extinct

History:

• 1988-Extinct as Gallirallus lafresnayanus (BirdLife International 2004)
• 1994-Extinct (Groombridge 1994)
• 2000-Extinct (BirdLife International 2000)

Threats:

• 1.1.4.2 Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Livestock - Small-holder (past)
• 1.5 Habitat Loss/Degradation - Invasive alien species (past)
• 2.2 Invasive alien species (directly affecting the species) - Predators (past)
• 8.1 Changes in native species dynamics - Competitors (past)

For info on these threat codes, see here.

Justification

Chatham Rail Cabalus modestus was endemic to Chatham, Mangere and Pitt Islands, New Zealand. It was first discovered on Mangere in 1871, and 26 specimens collected there are known from museum collections. It became extinct on the island between 1896 and 19001. Its extinction was presumably caused by predation by rats and cats (which were introduced in the 1890s), habitat destruction to provide sheep pasture (which destroyed all of the island's bush and tussock grass by 1900), and from grazing by goats and rabbits. The species is also known from 19th century bones from Chatham and Pitt Islands, where Olson has suggested that its extinction resulted from competition with the larger Dieffenbach's Rail Gallirallus dieffenbachii (also extinct), but the two species have been shown to have been sympatric on Mangere.

Taxonomy

Physical Description

Distribution

Range and Population

Cabalus modestus was endemic to Chatham, Mangere and Pitt Islands, New Zealand. It was first discovered on Mangere in 1871, and 26 specimens collected there are known from museum collections. It became extinct on the island between 1896 and 1900. Its extinction was presumably caused by predation by rats and cats (which were introduced in the 1890s), habitat destruction to provide sheep pasture (which destroyed all of the island's bush and tussock grass by 1900), and from grazing by goats and rabbits. The species is also known from 19th century bones from Chatham and Pitt Islands, where Olson has suggested that its extinction resulted from competition with the larger Dieffenbach's Rail Gallirallus dieffenbachii (also extinct), but the two species have been shown to have been sympatric on Mangere.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Cabalus:

There are approximately 1 species and subspecies in this genus: C. modestus (Animals)

Members of the genus Aloconota:

There are approximately 26 species and subspecies in this genus: A. aegyptiaca · A. amnigena · A. appulsa · A. cambrica · A. coulsoni · A. currax · A. debilicornis · A. diversiseta · A. eichhoffi · A. ernestinae · A. grandicornis · A. gregaria · A. insecta · A. koreana · A. languida · A. longicollis · A. mihoki · A. neospelea · A. petziana · A. pfefferi · A. planifrons · A. strandi · A. subgrandis · A. sulcifrons · A. ultima · A. unica

Bibliography

• Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
• BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.

More Info

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Notes

Contributors:

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2007. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed September 16, 2007.

Identifiers:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 17434015
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1026189