Home Log Out
Birdpedia - Australia         | Home | Birds | Calendar | Reserves | Field Trips | Sightings | Reports | Contacts | [HBW - BirdLife (v3)] 29/03/2024 09:37:50 PM
Species Database
Find
Quick Links
News
 
Species Details [Taxonomy: HBW - BirdLife (v3)] Print... Email... 

 LC    Lewin's Rail* Id (Atlas): 045
    Lewinia pectoralis

Description (10)
Image of Lewin's Rail
 

Other Names (World)
Lewin's Rail, Water Rail, Lewin's Water Rail, Slate-breasted Rail, Slate-breasted Water Rail, Pectoral Rail, Pectoral Water Rail, Short-toed Rail, Short-toed Water Rail

Family
Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, Coots)

Size
18 - 27 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Temminck, 1831)

Derivation
Rall'-us - N.L., rail: pec-tor-ä'-lis - L., breasted

Abundance (Guide)
MC

Uncommon. Nomadic.

Habitat
swamps, and vegatation-choked margins of streams.

Range (Guide)
Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea.

Image of Range of Lewin's Rail
Coastal eastern and south-eastern Australia to south-eastern South Australia, Kangaroo Island and Tasmania. Also rare in south-western Australia.
 
Rarity Status
View Rarity Status Information

Population
Estimated population is 30,000 (2020) and decreasing.

Status LC
Probably secure.

See also EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna for subspecies clelandi (western - extinct).

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Singly or in pairs.

Food
Worms, freshwater snails and insects.

Voice
A sharp, 'loud, 'krek' given as a burst of calls, becoming faster and louder then fades away. Also a whistle, very loud in a series of up to 50.



Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (19)...)

 
Lewin's Rail (Lewinia pectoralis) [XC531694]
     by James Lambert from Golo Lusang, Flores, Indonesia (call)

 
Lewin's Rail (Lewinia pectoralis) [XC495636]
     by Yovie Jehabut from Rosevears, West Tamar Council, Tasmania, Australia (call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
August - January.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


Nest
Open, composed of dried, coarse grass-stalks, low in a tussock of grass.

Eggs (Guide)
4 - 6; cream with blotches of red-brown and purple-grey; oval; about 35 x 26 mm. Incubation: about 19 - 21 days; by female.

Young
Precocial, nidifugous.

Subspecies
Lewin's Rail (Lewinia pectoralis) and Auckland Rail (Lewinia muelleri) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) are retained as separate species contra Turbott (1990) who include muelleri as a subspecies of Lewin's Rail (Lewinia pectoralis). This treatment is under review by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group.

Forms superspecies with Brown-banded Rail (Lewinia mirifica) and Auckland Rail (Lewinia muelleri), both of which are on occasion considered subspecies of this species.

The following 9 subspecies are recognised:

  • pectoralis (Temminck, 1831)   -  Southern Qld, NSW, Vic., SA, Australia.
  • exsul (Hartert, 1898)   -  Flores (Lesser Sundas).
  • mayri (Hartert, 1930)   -  Arfak Mts, western New Guinea.
  • capta (Mayr and Gilliard, 1951)   -  Central New Guinea.
  • insulsa (Greenway, 1935)   -  Herzog Mts, eastern New Guinea.
  • alberti (Rothschild & Hartert, 1907)   -  Mountains of south-eastern New Guinea.
  • clelandi ! (Mathews, 1911)   -  South-western Australia (probably extinct).
  • brachipus (Swainson, 1838)   -  Tasmania.
  • muelleri (Rothschild, 1893)   -  Auckland Islands (Adams and Disappointment). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Auckland Rail (Lewinia muelleri).


Similar Species
Adults and juveniles with Buff-banded Rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis) which is larger and bulkier with a longer tail and a shorter, stouter, red-brown bill, white eyebrow, buff breasted, and undertail more boldly barred black and white and Australian Spotted Crake (Porzana fluminea) which is slightly smaller, more compact, with a shorter neck, longer tail, short stout greenish bill, and greenish legs and feet.


References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9


Files:
JPG files for Lewins Rail (Lewinia pectoralis) - 10 filesMP3 files for Lewins Rail (Lewinia pectoralis) - 4 files


More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Lewins Rail see... Show Articles BirdLife International Species Factsheet.


Articles about the Lewins Rail

If you would like to read any articles about the Lewins Rail... Show Articles Show Articles (0)


No Pictures of Lewins Rail

If Birdpedia has no pictures of Lewins Rail or you would like to see more, then try the following...

      Show External Images from BING From BING (0)


No Videos of Lewins Rail

If Birdpedia has no videos of Lewins Rail or you would like to see more, then try the following..

      Show External Videos From BING (0)


Where can I observe this species?
Select an area (or leave blank) to see locations where this species has been recorded.

Area
  All   

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.
 
Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   GPS help
Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   Find GPS using Google Maps
Distance Bearing  
Get Sample GPS readings


On What Field Trips was this species observed?
Select an area (or leave blank), and a date range, to see field trips on which this species has been recorded.

Area
  All   

From To  
 

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.
 
Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   GPS help
Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or
Distance Bearing  
Get Sample GPS readings


Latest Sightings for Lewins Rail
Select the Area to restrict the Sightings.

Area
  All