Jamaican wood rail | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Gruiformes |
Family: | Rallidae |
Genus: | Amaurolimnas |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | †A. c. concolor
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Trinomial name | |
†Amaurolimnas concolor concolor (P. H. Gosse, 1847)
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The Jamaican wood rail, also called the Jamaican uniform rail was the nominate subspecies of the uniform crake found on Jamaica. It became extinct around 1881.[2]
The Jamaican wood rail was a reddish-brown bird some 10 inches in length.[2]
Although capable of flight, the wood rail was primarily a terrestrial bird, preferring to run to escape predators. It was originally widespread on the island, inhabiting swamps, jungle undergrowth and streambeds, to fairly high altitudes.[3]
Already rare and threatened by rats and cats, the Jamaican wood rail was ultimately driven to extinction shortly after the introduction of small Indian mongooses to Jamaica in 1872.[4][2] The last specimens of the bird were collected in 1881.[5]