Iwo Jima rail


The Iwo Jima rail or white-browed crake was a rail native to the island of Iwo Jima. The last reported sightings were in 1924, and the species is believed to be extinct. It was a subspecies of the white-browed crake.

Description

The Iwo Jima rail was coloured dark brown, with black mottles on its back, and a white colouration on its belly. The bird was typically about six inches long.

Ecology

The species cinereus was typically found in both brackish water and fresh water marshes. Iwo Jima, however, lacked these features, and the Iwo Jima subspecies lived in the brush and tall grass along rivulets on the island, as well as damp places within the original forest cover.

Extinction

When humans settled the island of Iwo Jima, they cleared away the existing forest to grow sugarcane. The forest clearance reduced the availability of fresh water, which forced the bird to come into the settlements to find water during the dry season. Here the birds often fell pray to cats. Combined with the introduction of rats to the island, this caused the extinction of the bird.
The last specimen of the bird was collected in 1911, and the last reported sightings were by T. T. Moniyama in 1924.