Macquarie Island Rail
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| Macquarie Island Rail | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis (Hutton, 1879) |
The Macquarie Island Rail, Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis, is an extinct subspecies of the Buff-banded Rail endemic to Macquarie Island, a subantarctic island part of the state of Tasmania, Australia.[2]
[edit] Distribution and habitat
The Rail was confined to Macquarie Island, where it occupied tussock grassland.
[edit] Extinction
The probable cause of extinction was predation by feral cats and Wekas, exacerbated by habitat destruction caused by rabbits. Although the Rail had coexisted with the cats for over 70 years, the introduction of rabbits enabled an increase in the cat population, leading to increased predation on rails in winter with the rabbits at seasonally low numbers.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis — Buff-banded Rail (Macquarie Island), Species Profile and Threats Database, Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australia.
- ^ a b Garnett, Stephen T.; & Crowley, Gabriel M. (2000). The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000. Environment Australia: Canberra. ISBN 0-642-54683-5
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