- Macquarie Island Rail
Taxobox
name = Macquarie Island Rail
status = EX
status_system = EPBC
status_ref = SPRAT | name = "Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis" — Buff-banded Rail (Macquarie Island) | id = 59314]
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Gruiformes
familia =Rallidae
genus = "Gallirallus "
species = "G. philippensis"
subspecies = "G. p. macquariensis"
trinomial = "Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis"
trinomial_authority = (Hutton, 1879)The Macquarie Island Rail, "Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis", is an
extinct subspecies of theBuff-banded Rail endemic toMacquarie Island , a subantarctic island part of the state ofTasmania ,Australia .Garnett, Stephen T.; & Crowley, Gabriel M. (2000). "The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000". Environment Australia: Canberra. ISBN 0-642-54683-5]Distribution and habitat
The Rail was confined to Macquarie Island, where it occupied tussock
grassland .Extinction
The probable cause of extinction was predation by
feral cat s andWeka s, exacerbated byhabitat destruction caused byrabbit s. 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.References
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