VU
Inaccessible Island Rail Laterallus rogersi



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note
Laterallus rogersi (Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International 2020) was previously in the genus Atlantisia (del Hoyo and Collar 2014). Stervander et al. (2019) found that this species, Dot-winged Crake Porzana spiloptera and Yellow-breasted Crake Hapalocrex flaviventer nest within a clade of Laterallus crakes, with the first two grouped closely with Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis. It thus appears appropriate to move all three species to the genus Laterallus, and this option is adopted by BirdLife.

Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2020. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 5. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - D2

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2021 Vulnerable D2
2016 Vulnerable D2
2012 Vulnerable D2
2008 Vulnerable D2
2004 Vulnerable
2000 Vulnerable
1996 Vulnerable
1994 Vulnerable
1988 Threatened
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 19 km2 medium
Number of locations 1 -
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 5460-7320,6180 mature individuals good estimated 2018
Population trend stable medium suspected -
Generation length 3.5 years - - -
Number of subpopulations 1 - - -
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation 100% - - -

Population justification: Dilley et al. (2020) estimated the total population to be 9,100 - 12,200 individuals, roughly equivalent to 5,460 - 7,320 mature individuals. This is higher than the total population estimate of 8,400 birds by Fraser et al. (1992). However, this new estimate is not suitable to infer population trends due to the crudeness of some historic estimates (Dilley et al. 2020).

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable (Dilley et al. 2020).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
St Helena (to UK) extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
St Helena (to UK) Inaccessible Island

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Grassland Subantarctic major resident
Shrubland Subantarctic major resident
Altitude 0 - 500 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus rattus Timing Scope Severity Impact
Future Whole (>90%) Rapid Declines Medium Impact: 6
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Unspecified species Timing Scope Severity Impact
Future Whole (>90%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Indirect ecosystem effects, Competition

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Inaccessible Island Rail Laterallus rogersi. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/inaccessible-island-rail-laterallus-rogersi on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.