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Lord Howe Woodhen
(Gallirallus sylvestris)
: "Lord Howe Island Woodhen", "Lord Howe (Island) Rail"
Size: 34-42 cm (male), 32-37 cm (female); wing span 45-50 cm
Weight: 350-750 g
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Lord Howe Woodhens are medium-sized rails.
Their plumage is
mostly greyish-brown, except for the head and throat, which are
grey. The irises are dark, the bill is grey, with a flesh-coloured
base and lower mandible. The legs and feet are also greyish to
flesh-coloured.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Although outwardly not very similar, the Lord Howe Woodhen's closest
relative on the Australian continent is the Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis).
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Lord
Howe Woodhen 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, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Lord Howe Woodhen is available
HERE
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As its name suggests, the Lord Howe Woodhen is endemic to Lord Howe
Island, which is located about 600 km East of the Australian East
coast, at the same geographic latitude (of -31.5 degrees) as Port
Macquarie, NSW. As of 2015, there are about 250 Lord Howe Woodhens
in total (up from just 15 birds in 1980). They are flightless and
therefore vulnerable to predation and habitat destruction (by feral
pigs).
Lord Howe Woodhens have a preference for leaf litter under dense
forest.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
C. Kellenberg reports spotting a Lord Howe Woodhen on Lord Howe Island
in July 2010.
B. Hensen found Lord Howe Woodhens on Lord Howe Island in November 2014.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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Frontal view of a Lord Howe Woodhen (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lord Howe Island, November 2014]
Near-frontal view of a Lord Howe Woodhen (photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)
[Lord Howe Island, July 2010]
Near-dorsal view of a Lord Howe Woodhen (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lord Howe Island, November 2014]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Adult Lord Howe Woodhen, left, with a juvenile (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lord Howe Island, November 2014]
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.