Madagascar forest rail explained

The Madagascar forest rail (Mentocrex kioloides), also known as the Madagascar wood rail or the kioloides rail, is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae. It is endemic to forests, often in wet areas, in northern and eastern Madagascar. The Madagascar forest rail is a secretive and shy species, often showing elusive behavior, such as running away from the slightest disturbances. This has contributed to a lack of study on this species; a reason why it is not that well known.^[1]

This species was formerly placed in the genus Canirallus together with Tsingy forest rail and the grey-throated rail. A molecular genetic study published in 2019 found that the grey-throated rail is not closely related to the forest rails. The forest rails were therefore moved to the resurrected genus Mentocrex.^{[2] [3]}

Notes and References

1. Block . Nicholas . Goodman . Steven . Raherilalao . Marie . Patterns of morphological and genetic variation in the Mentocrex kioloides complex (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) from Madagascar, with the description of a new species . Zootaxa . 2011 . 2776 . 1 . 49 . 10.11646/zootaxa.2776.1.3. free .
2. Boast . A.P. . etal . 2019 . Mitochondrial genomes from New Zealand's extinct adzebills (Aves: Aptornithidae: Aptornis) support a sister-taxon relationship with the Afro-Madagascan Sarothruridae . Diversity . 11 . 24 . 1–21 . 10.3390/d11020024 . free . 2440/119533 . free .
3. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . 2019 . Flufftails, finfoots, rails, trumpeters, cranes, limpkin . World Bird List Version 9.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 25 June 2019 .