Laysan Rail (Zapornia palmeri)

Year Last Seen:

1944

Comments:

This species was found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, USA, but is now Extinct. The last population, which had been introduced to Eastern Island, was exterminated by introduced rats in 1944.

Habitat:

It inhabited grass tussocks and thickets.

Causes:

It became extinct on Laysan Island as a result of habitat destruction by escaped rabbits introduced by guano diggers (Taylor and van Perlo 1998). The Pearl and Hermes Reef colony was destroyed by storms; and rats, brought in by wartime activities, exterminated both the Sand Island colony and the Eastern Island colony (Baldwin 1945).

Distribution:

Zapornia palmeri was found on Laysan Island, Hawai'i, U.S.A. (Baldwin 1947), from where it became extinct between 1923 and 1936 (Taylor and van Perlo 1998). Birds were introduced to Pearl and Hermes Reef in 1929 but none were found in 1930 (Hume 2017). Birds were introduced to Eastern and Sand Islands in the Midway Atoll, with failed re-introductions also reportedly attempted to Lisianski, Laysan and to the main Hawaiian group (Taylor and van Perlo 1998). It became extinct on Sand Island in 1943 and Eastern Island in 1944 (Baldwin 1945).

References:

IUCN Redbook Data