The Vava'u rail (Hypotaenidia vavauensis) is an extinct species of bird in Rallidae. It was first described in 1793 from an illustration. In 2020 subfossil remains were found on the island of Vuna, in the Vava'u island group of Tonga. [1]

Vava'u rail
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene-Holocene
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Hypotaenidia
Species:
H. vavauensis
Binomial name
Hypotaenidia vavauensis
Worthy and Burley, 2020

Description

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The Vava'u rail was a flightless bird with legs longer and bulkier than most known species in Hypotaenidia.[1] The bill was blood red becoming more of a pale pink towards the lip. The body had patches of grey and white appearing as a slaty blue. It was likely closely related, and visually similar to the ʻEua rail.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Prehistoric avifaunas from the Kingdom of Tonga". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  2. ^ Olson, Storrs L. (2006). "Birds, including extinct species, encountered by the Malaspina Expedition on Vava'u, Tonga, in 1793". Archives of Natural History. 33. Division of Birds, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution: 42–52. doi:10.3366/anh.2006.33.1.42. Retrieved 6 January 2023.