Details: Viti Levu Rail
Vitirallus watlingi, the Fiji rail or Viti Levu rail, was a prehistoric flightless bird from Fiji, and is the only species in the genus Vitirallus. Vitirallus watlingi is thought to have been about the same size as the bar-winged rail (Nesoclopeus poecilopterus) but with a very elongated and slender bill.
The genus name refers to Viti Levu, the island of origin in Fiji; rallus is Latin for rail. The species name watlingi is after the ornithologist Dr Dick Watling. Remains of this species were discovered in September 1998 at Viti Levu, the largest island in the Republic of Fiji
IUCN Red List Status
References
- Vitirallus. (2021, August 13). In Wikipedia. Link
Additional Sources of Information
- NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is Fiji’s only domestic NGO working solely for the conservation and sustainable management of Fiji’s unique natural heritage – Link
Author: Fiji Journal
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