A photo of a Buff-banded Rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis)
Buff-banded Rail

Buff-banded Rail

Hypotaenidia philippensis

The buff-banded rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis) is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the rail family, Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-west Pacific region, including the Philippines (where it is known as tikling), New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand (where it is known as the banded rail or moho-pererū in Māori), and numerous smaller islands, covering a range of latitudes from the tropics to the Subantarctic. It is a largely terrestrial bird the size of a small domestic chicken, with mainly brown upperparts, finely banded black and white underparts, a white eyebrow, chestnut band running from the bill round the nape, with a buff band on the breast. It utilises a range of moist or wetland habitats with low, dense vegetation for cover. It is usually quite shy but may become very tame and bold in some circumstances, such as in island resorts within the Great Barrier Reef region. The buff-banded rail is an omnivorous scavenger which feeds on a range of terrestrial invertebrates and small vertebrates, seeds, fallen fruit and other vegetable matter, as well as carrion and refuse. Its nest is usually situated in dense grassy or reedy vegetation close to water, with a clutch size of 3–4. Although some island populations may be threatened, or even exterminated, by introduced predators, the species as a whole appears to be safe and its conservation status is considered to be of Least Concern.
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Buff-banded Rails on Birda

Photos

Sightings

A photo of a Buff-banded Rail photographed in  Australia
🦢
Nat Starr
Tuesday 07 Feb 2023 - 8:58am
Australia
A map showing the sighting location
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Eloise Croucamp
Monday 02 Jan 2023 - 2:53am
Australia
A map showing the sighting location
🐠
Matthew Jacobs
Saturday 31 Dec 2022 - 8:10am
Australia
A map showing the sighting location
🦢
Royce Marcus
Monday 29 Aug 2022 - 9:49am
Australia
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