Creature
Fast Facts
Introducing you to extinct species.

THE

LAYSAN RAIL

1. The Laysan rail, Zapornia palmeri, was a flightless rail that lived on Laysan Island in Northwest Hawaii. 2. This rail was 5.9 inches long, with light green legs. Its face and head were grayish blue. Its back was brown with a barred pattern. 3. The chicks of the Laysan rail were black with long legs and a yellow bill. 4. Laysan Island is only one square mile and an important seabird nesting area. There were an estimated 2,000 - 5,000 rails on the island between 1912 - 1915. 5. Their diet varied greatly from plants, moths, blowflies, carcasses, and eggs. They would wait for the Laysan finches to crack open eggs with their special beak, and then chase the finches away for a meal. 6. The Laysan rail was adapted to get water from its diet, as there are no freshwater sources on Laysan Island. They would eagerly drink water when it was available. 7. The rails had no predators on Laysan. Reports showed they had no fear and would take food from people who stopped by the island. 8. During courtship or disputes two rails would “scold each other” with a sound like a “mechanical alarm clock”. In 1892, Frohawk described the entire rail population’s evening calls as sounding like, "...a handful or two of marbles being thrown on a glass roof and then descending in a succession of bounds." 9. The Laysan rail parents would both make the nest using grasses and incubate the 2 - 3 eggs for 20 days. After 5 days, the chicks could run as fast as their parents. 10. The European hare was introduced to Laysan Island in 1903. The rabbits quickly ate the majority of vegetation on the island. The loss of plants for food and nesting led to the extinction of the Laysan rail, the Laysan millerbird, and Laysan honeycreeper. Only two rails were seen on Laysan Island in 1923. 11. During this time, some Laysan rails were relocated to Midway Atoll’s Sand and Eastern Islands. These birds survived until 1943, when rats were accidentally introduced there. Rats along with the island being used in WWII, took its toll on the remaining Laysan rails which were deemed extinct by 1944.

Extinction
Cometh
Facing the light at the end of the tunnel

EXTINCTION DATE

1944

The Laysan rail was a unique flightless member of the rail family. It was an opportunist feeder and well adapted to life on a predator-free seabird nesting colony. The rail would eat vegetation and insects on the island, but was observed following around the Laysan finches which have a specialized beak for cracking open eggs. Once the finch cracked the eggs open, the rails would chase the finches away and claim the egg. The Laysan rail was also adapted to go without water, as there is no fresh water source on Laysan. When water was available or given by people, the rails drank it up. The Laysan rail population was a steady 2,000-5,000 for a long time. This number seemed to fit well on an island only one-square mile in size. In 1903, European hares were introduced to Laysan. With no predators, and grasses available, the rabbit population exploded. The rabbits ate so much vegetation that much of the island became a dusty wasteland. Without the grasses to eat and use for nesting the Laysan rail population plummeted to only two by 1923. During this population decline, several Laysan rails were relocated to eastern Island in Midway. These birds adapted well to their new island home. Unfortunately rats were accidentally brought to the island in 1943 during WWII. The last Laysan rail on Eastern Island in Midway was seen in June of 1944, marking this species' probable extinct date. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The Laysan rail might be a good candidate. Several specimens have been collected, so DNA could be used from these specimens to one day bring back this unique rail species. Many efforts have been made in Hawaii since the Laysan rail’s extinction. There have been efforts to eradicate rats and invasive species from the environment. Scientists have also been working to control avian diseases and thwart the avian malaria that has affected so many species in Hawaii. Laysan Island is still an important seabird colony area today, and measures have been put in place to protect it. Because other species on Laysan Island like the Laysan finch and Laysan duck were able to survive the devastation caused by rabbits, the Laysan rail could have a chance. If the Laysan rail was brought back from extinction, could it survive on its native homeland of Laysan Island in Hawaii?