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7

Lewin's Rail

(Lewinia pectoralis)
Alternate name(s): "Lewin Water-rail", "Slate-breasted Rail", "Short-toed Rail", "Pectoral Rail"
Aboriginal name(s): Race "clelandi" (SW WA; extinct): "nooni"

Size: 21-25 cm
Weight: 75-100 g

Similar
species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Lewin's Rail at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "pectoralis"

ADULT

MALE

Lateral view of a male(?) Lewin's Rail - note the conspicuous chestnut on crown and neck (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[South Maroubra, Sydney, NSW, January 2017]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Lewin's Rail - note how this bird's crown and neck are duller than above
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Banks Street Reserve, Ashgrove, Brisbane, QLD, November 2019]

Near-frontal view of a female Lewin's Rail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Banks Street Reserve, Ashgrove, Brisbane, QLD, November 2019]

Near-lateral view of a female Lewin's Rail (photo courtesy of C. Charles)
[Triangle Pond, Homebush, Sydney, NSW, January 2009]

Lateral view of a female Lewin's Rail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Banks Street Reserve, Ashgrove, Brisbane, QLD, November 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a female Lewin's Rail; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 23 November 2019
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Banks Street Reserve, Ashgrove, Brisbane, QLD, November 2019]

Behaviour

While Buff-banded Rails can sometimes be seen out in the open, Lewin's Rails are very secretive and will usually stay in dense vegetation in swampy areas.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

lewrail_me_20191123.m4a pectoralis
(SE QLD)
Contact calls + alarm? © ME
lewrail_me_20191123_3.m4a pectoralis
(SE QLD)
Alarm calls? © ME
lewrail_me_20191123_2.m4a pectoralis
(SE QLD)
Alarm calls? (+ Rainbow Lorikeet) © ME

More Lewin's Rail sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.