Gymnocrex talaudensis
SUBFAMILY
Rallinae
TAXONOMY
Gymnocrex talaudensis Lambert, 1998, Karakelong I., Talaud Archipelago.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Râle de Talaud; German: Talaudralle; Spanish: Cotara.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Approximately 13–14 in (33–35 cm). Chestnut foreparts, olive-green upperparts, tawny remiges, blackish underparts and tail, yellow bill and legs, and white facial skin. Only the holotype is described.
DISTRIBUTION
Karakelong Island, Talaud Archipelago, Indonesia.
HABITAT
Long wet grass and scrub, including at forest edges.
BEHAVIOR
Extremely shy; seen only once in the four years after its discovery.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Snails and beetles.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Not known.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered, with a very small range; faces habitat loss and degradation.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Trapped for food.
