New Caledonian Rail Gallirallus lafresnayanus Scientific name definitions

New Caledonia (not recorded since 1890; possibly extinct).

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. Restricted-range species: present in New Caledonia EBA. Until recently, thought to be extinct because had not been recorded by ornithologists during present century, last of seventeen specimens (1 Fullagar, P.J., Disney, H.J. de S. and de Naurois, R. (1982). Additional specimens of two rare rails and comments on the genus Tricholimnas of New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island. Emu. 82: 131-136. Close ) having been collected in 1890. However, occasional local reports this century suggest that species may still survive in relatively inaccessible areas of forest, albeit in very small numbers. Not found during a search of 3 areas of the island in 1976, nor during five months of surveys in 1998 (2 Ekstrom, J. M. M., J. P. G. Jones, J. Willis, J. Tobias, G. C. L. Dutson, and N. Barré (2002). New information on the distribution, status and conservation of terrestrial bird species in Grande Terre, New Caledonia. Emu 102(2):197–207. Close ), but there was an unsubstantiated sighting from N New Caledonia in 1984. Interviews with 120 local people in 2003-2006 did not produce credible reports BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Gallirallus lafresnayanus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/01/2015. . Species likely to be threatened by introduced species such as dogs, cats, rats, deer and especially pigs. Its habit of crouching when chased makes it vulnerable to dogs. The closely related Lord Howe Woodhen Hypotaenidia sylvestris  remains only in isolated forests free from pigs, of which none remain on New Caledonia.