This article is about the rail (Rallidae) living in Auckland Islands. For the rail system in Auckland, see Transdev Auckland.
Auckland rail
Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans, 1905
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Gruiformes
Family:
Rallidae
Genus:
Lewinia
Species:
L. muelleri
Binomial name
Lewinia muelleri
(Rothschild, 1893)
The Auckland rail or Auckland Islands rail (Lewinia muelleri) is a small nearly flightless rail endemic to the Auckland Islands 460 km south of New Zealand. It is somewhat of a biogeographical anomaly, being the only species in the genus Lewinia to have reached the islands of New Zealand, skipping over[citation needed] the main islands to reach the remote Auckland group. Its closest relative is Lewin's rail of Australia. The species is currently restricted to two islands in the Auckland group, Adams Island and Disappointment Island.
The Auckland rail is a small rail with chestnut back plumage and a grey breast. The flanks are barred black and white and the head is red-brown, with a red bill. It is smaller than the Australian Lewin's rail. There are conflicting reports about its ability to fly. Early accounts suggested it could; recent researchers have found little evidence for this. If the species is able to fly, it does so very infrequently. Auckland rails have a variety of calls, the most common being a crex call made at one second intervals 10 or more times in a row. The function of the calls is unknown.
Little is known about the reproductive biology of the Auckland rail. The few nests that have been found contained clutches of two eggs, probably laid in early November. The eggs are cream coloured with red, brown and grey spots.
The Auckland rail is highly secretive and was considered to be extinct for many years before its rediscovery. The population of about 1500 birds[2] is currently stable on the two islands it survives on. It is thought to have become extinct on the main Auckland Islands due to the presence of introduced feral cats and pigs; it is hoped the eventual removal of these from the islands will allow for reintroductions to other islands in the group. The species is currently considered vulnerable by the IUCN and BirdLife International due to the possibility of rats or other predators reaching the two islands it survives on.
^BirdLife International (2016). "Lewinia muelleri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22692529A93357313. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22692529A93357313.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
^Elliot, G.P. (2022). "Auckland Island rail". NZ Birds Online. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
The Aucklandrail or Auckland Islands rail (Lewinia muelleri) is a small nearly flightless rail endemic to the Auckland Islands 460 km south of New Zealand...
projects to further extend Auckland'srail network were included in the 2012 Auckland Plan, including the City Rail Link, the Auckland Airport Line, the Avondale-Southdown...
-36.84648079; 174.76568605 Auckland One Rail is a train operator that commenced operating services under contract to Auckland Transport in January 2022...
The City Rail Link (CRL) is a rail project currently under construction in Auckland, New Zealand. The project consists of a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long double-track...
Between 2015 and 2023, Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, considered introducing light rail lines to replace some of its most heavily used bus routes...
charter specials from time to time. Urban passenger rail services exist only in Auckland and Wellington. Rail in New Zealand has received significant and ongoing...
system in the 1950s, the decision by Stan Goosman to not electrify Auckland'srail network, and a focus of transport investment into a motorway system...
The Auckland Airport Line was a proposed heavy rail line in Auckland, New Zealand, that would have linked Auckland Airport with the Auckland central business...
the entire world's population – nest there. Also on the island is the Aucklandrail, endemic to the archipelago; once thought to be extinct, it was rediscovered...
Aucklandrail network is operated by Auckland One Rail and the Wellington rail network is operated by Transdev Wellington. Hybrid urban-suburban rail...
Auckland railway electrification occurred in phases as part of investment in a new infrastructure for Auckland's urban railway network. Electrification...
The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion...
back the rail network outside of Auckland for $1 (the Auckland metro rail network had already been purchased by the government in 2001). The rail network...
Transport in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, is defined by factors that include the shape of the Auckland isthmus (with its harbours creating chokepoints...
services using stations in Auckland include suburban trains, which are owned by Auckland Transport and operated by Auckland One Rail, and the Northern Explorer...
The Auckland Central Business District (CBD), or Auckland city centre, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland metropolitan area. It is...
via Darlington. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. Bishop Auckland gained its first rail link in 1842, when the Stockton and Darlington...
with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is 682 kilometres (424 mi) long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) and...
bridge. While often considered an Auckland icon, many see the construction of the bridge without walking, cycling, and rail facilities as a big oversight...
passenger trains under contract from Auckland Transport on infrastructure owned and managed by KiwiRail. Auckland Transport receives funding to subsidise...
projects, including the rail network in the 1870s, the Auckland Motorways from the 1950s, and bridges (most notably the Auckland Harbour Bridge, opening...
head for Auckland International Airport. The motorway then crosses the narrow Newmarket Viaduct, before turning to follow the North AucklandRail Line to...
The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor...