Invisible Rail
Gallirallus wallacii
The Invisible Rail (Gallirallus wallacii) is a legendary rails, gallinules, and coot found only in Indonesia. The invisible rail, Wallace's rail, or drummer rail is a large flightless rail that is endemic to the island of Halmahera in Northern Maluku, Indonesia, where it inhabits impenetrable sago swamps adjacent to forests.
About the Invisible Rail
The invisible rail, Wallace's rail, or drummer rail is a large flightless rail that is endemic to the island of Halmahera in Northern Maluku, Indonesia, where it inhabits impenetrable sago swamps adjacent to forests. Its plumage is predominantly dark slate-grey, and the bare skin around its eyes, the long, thick bill, and the legs are all bright red. Its call is a low drumming sound which is accompanied by wing-beating. The difficulty of seeing this shy bird in its dense habitat means that information on its behaviour is limited.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The invisible rail is a large, 33 to 40 cm (13–16 in) long, flightless bird. The adult has a mainly dark slate-grey body, dark brown plumage on the lower back, rump and wings, and a black uppertail. Its underparts are slightly paler slate-grey than the back, and the bare skin around the eye, the long, thick bill and the strong legs are bright red. It has a small spine at the bend of the wings. The sexes are identical in appearance; the plumage of fledged immature birds has not been described.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: July, August, September, October, November, with peak activity in August. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Invisible Rail?
- The invisible rail is a large, 33 to 40 cm (13–16 in) long, flightless bird. Full identification notes are on this page.
- Where can you see an Invisible Rail?
- The Invisible Rail is endemic to Indonesia, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to an Invisible Rail?
- The Invisible Rail is most easily confused with the Pink-legged Rail, the Roviana Rail and the Calayan Rail.
- Is the Invisible Rail endangered?
- The Invisible Rail is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Invisible Rail for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.