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Lewin's Rail
(Lewinia pectoralis)
: "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
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Lewin's Rails are small to medium-sized wetland birds. Their
plumage is highly
cryptic.
Their breast is grey-brown, with a white throat. The belly, vent
and undertail coverts are heavily barred, with dark-grey feathers
showing white linings. The eyebrows and nape of the neck are
chestnut, while the cap is chestnut with black stripes. The wings
are dark-brown, with brown edging.
The only minute difference between the sexes is that
males
have a more conspicuously chestnut crown and nape of the neck than
females.
Both sexes have red irises.
Bill, legs and feet are brownish.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared to Buff-banded
Rails, Lewin's Rails have a much darker "jizz"; most notably, they lack
the white eyebrow stripe of Buff-banded Rails.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Lewin's
Rail at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of Lewin's Rail is available
HERE
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All races of Lewin's Rail are endemic to Australia.
While race "clelandi", which used to live in the south-western
corner of WA, is extinct, the two remaining races can be found in
narrow coastal fringes along the eastern and southern coast of
the Australian continent and Tasmania.
Nominate race
"pectoralis" is found in a narrow coastal strip from Kangaroo
Island and Adelaide, SA, to Melbourne, VIC, and all through the
eastern part of VIC, via the ACT, towards the NSW coast including the
Hunter estuary.
The distribution along the NSW coast is patchy. They are found along
the NSW north coast and in southern QLD up to about Fraser Island,
towards the north of which they are scarce again. Another populated
patch is found from the tropic of Capricorn northward, to about
Cairns, QLD.
Race "brachipus" is found only in the western half of Tasmania
and on King Island and Flinders Island in the Bass Strait.
Lewin's Rails tend to live in dense reeds around swamps, with a preference
for coastal regions.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
C. Charles
reports spotting Lewin's Rails, race "pectoralis",
at Triangle Pond in Homebush, Sydney, NSW, in January 2009.
B. Hensen reports spotting a single Lewin's Rail, race "pectoralis",
at South Maroubra, NSW, in January 2017.
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Photos |
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Race "pectoralis"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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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]
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FEMALE |
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Near-lateral view of a female(?) Lewin's Rail - note how this
bird's crown and neck are duller than above
(photo courtesy of C. Charles)
[Triangle Pond, Homebush, Sydney, NSW, January 2009]
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.
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.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
