Red Rail

The red rail (Aphanapteryx bonasia) was a flightless rail that lived on the Mascarene Island of Mauritius, going extinct in the late 17th century from overhunting and introduction of domestic fauna. The animal was small, had a long beak, and preyed on small invertebrates. The animal was roughly 15 inches long, with males estimated to weigh 3 pounds and females at 2.2.

Discovery and Naming

In the late 1500s, scientists studying the island of Mauritius discovered the red rails in their natural habitat, naming them "Indian River Woodcocks". Scientists studied them in nature and studied their subfossil remains, ensuring the animal was a rail. The subfossils were relatively complete, and ranged from very young to adult specimens, with even possible sexual dimorphism.

In 1848 an official scientific name of Apterornis bonasia, but unfortunately, that genus name was already taken at the time by Aptornis, an adzebill. Eventually the animal was renamed to its binomial name today, being Aphanapteryx bonasia under the authority of Edmond de Sélys Longchamps and Georg Frauenfeld.

The genus name "Aphanapteryx" means "invisible wing" from "aphanēs" (unseen) and "pteryx" (wing), likely alluding to the flightless nature of this bird. The species name, "bonasia", is more difficult to break down. It could originate from Latin "bonum" and "assum" combined, which would translate to good roast as this bird was eaten much like the popular dodo; it could also root from Latin's word for bull, "bonasus", which may allude to the red coloration of the bird.

Taxonomy

Research of subfossil remains and contemporary reconstructions has led to the discovery that A. bonasia was a rail, belonging to the family Rallidae. Its closest relative is the Rodrigues rail (Erythromachus leguati) which lived on a nearby island, suggesting recent divergence from each other.