Three tiny, low-lying coral atolls (7 km²) surrounding a lagoon constitute Wake Island, a US unincorporated territory. The atolls are situated c.550 km north of the Marshall Islands (Secondary Area s123) in the north-central Pacific, and are covered by an open scrub forest. The island is a Secondary Area on the basis of its one endemic (extinct) species, Wake Island Rail Gallirallus wakensis, which was last seen in 1945. It has been claimed that this flightless species was eaten by Japanese forces occupying the island and that the bird became extinct as a consequence (Greenway 1967).

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Endemic Bird Areas factsheet: Wake Island. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/eba/factsheet/421 on 11/12/2023.