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Madagascar Forest Rail
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Madagascar Forest Rail
Mentocrex kioloides
The Madagascar forest rail (Mentocrex kioloides), also known as the Madagascar wood rail or the kioloides rail, is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae. It is endemic to forests, often in wet areas, in northern and eastern Madagascar. The secretive and shy personality of this reddish brown bird has contributed to a lack of study on this species; a reason why it is not that well known. Their smaller size and coloration make them great foragers on the forest floor. As of recent despite habitat loss the endangerment level of the Madagascar forest rail is 'of least concern.
This species was formerly placed in the genus Canirallus together with Tsingy forest rail and the grey-throated rail. A molecular genetic study published in 2019 found that the grey-throated rail is not closely related to the forest rails. The forest rails were therefore moved to the resurrected genus Mentocrex.
From the article Madagascar forest rail on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The Madagascar forest rail is a medium-sized rail measuring about 28 cm in length and weighing 250-280 g. The sexes are alike in their feathers. Adults are distinguished from the sympatric White-throated rail by their smaller size, shorter bill, darker undertail-coverts and the coloration of the head and upperparts. Fully grown, these birds reach a reddish-brown color while immature birds are born with less color than adults, with less grey on the head and yellow spotting on the undertail-coverts. The subspecies M.k berliozi is slightly larger and paler than the nominate form. It shows more extensive grey on the forehead and a larger white throat patch, while the upper back is a pale greenish-olive color.
Range & habitat
The Madagascar forest rail is a native species to Madagascar where it is seen throughout eastern humid forest, covering from near sea level to 2,000 m in elevation.The subspecies, M.k kiolodies, occupies the eastern rainforest while M.k berliozi is restricted to the Sambirano region of the northeast. They inhabit dense, moist forests and they are associated with wet areas and freshwater systems.
Wikipedia: “Habitat”
What it does
The species is primarily secretive and shy, often running from disturbances and remaining difficult to spot, which is partially why so little is known about the Madagascar Forest Rail. It is an earthbound forager that typically is seen in pairs, while some may also forage alone. Breeding has been recorded in May-June and again in November.
Wikipedia: “Behavior and Ecology”
Listen
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Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Mentocrex kioloides in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 1289628.