About the Tahiti Rail
The Tahiti rail, Tahitian red-billed rail, or Pacific red-billed rail is an extinct species of rail that lived on Tahiti. It was first recorded during James Cook's second voyage around the world (1772–1775), on which it was illustrated by Georg Forster and described by Johann Reinhold Forster. No specimens have been preserved. As well as the documentation by the Forsters, there have been claims that the bird also existed on the nearby island of Mehetia. The Tahiti rail appears to have been closely related to, and perhaps derived from, the buff-banded rail, and has also been historically confused with the Tongan subspecies of that bird.
Source: Wikipedia
Taxonomy & Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Gruiformes |
| Family | Rails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae) |
| Species | Gallirallus pacificus |
| Species Codes | tahrai1, TARA |
| Conservation | extinct |
Frequently Asked Questions
What family does the Tahiti Rail belong to?
The Tahiti Rail (Gallirallus pacificus) belongs to the Rails, Gallinules, and Coots family (Rallidae), in the order Gruiformes.
How can I identify the Tahiti Rail?
The Tahiti rail, Tahitian red-billed rail, or Pacific red-billed rail is an extinct species of rail that lived on Tahiti. It was first recorded during James Cook's second voyage around the world (1772–1775), on which it was illustrated by Georg Forster and described by Johann Reinhold Forster. No sp...
Where can I report a Tahiti Rail sighting?
You can log sightings of Tahiti Rail on eBird (ebird.org) using species code tahrai1, or on iNaturalist.