List of rail species
The avian family Rallidae comprise the rails, crakes, and coots. The AviList team recognizes these 148 species distributed among 38 genera, 19 of which have only one species. Nineteen of the species in the list have gone extinct since A.D. 1500; they are marked (Extinct).[1]
This list is presented according to the Avilist taxonomic sequence and can also be sorted alphabetically by common name and binomial.
List
| Common name | Binomial name | AviList sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Chestnut-headed crake | Anurolimnas castaneiceps (Sclater, PL & Salvin, O, 1869) | 1 |
| Spotted rail | Pardirallus maculatus (Boddaert, P, 1783) | 2 |
| Blackish rail | Pardirallus nigricans (Vieillot, LJP, 1819) | 3 |
| Plumbeous rail | Pardirallus sanguinolentus (Swainson, WJ, 1838) | 4 |
| Ash-throated crake | Mustelirallus albicollis (Vieillot, LJP, 1819) | 5 |
| Zapata rail | Mustelirallus cerverai (Barbour, T & Peters, JL, 1927) | 6 |
| Colombian crake | Mustelirallus colombianus (Bangs, O, 1898) | 7 |
| Paint-billed crake | Mustelirallus erythrops (Sclater, PL, 1867) | 8 |
| Uniform crake | Amaurolimnas concolor (Gosse, PH, 1847) | 9 |
| Giant wood rail | Aramides ypecaha (Vieillot, LJP, 1819) | 10 |
| Brown wood rail | Aramides wolfi Berlepsch, HHCL & Taczanowski, W, 1884 | 11 |
| Little wood rail | Aramides mangle (Spix, JB, 1825) | 12 |
| Rufous-necked wood rail | Aramides axillaris Lawrence, GN, 1863 | 13 |
| Russet-naped wood rail | Aramides albiventris Lawrence, GN, 1868 | 14 |
| Grey-cowled wood rail | Aramides cajaneus (Müller, PLS, 1776) | 15 |
| Red-winged wood rail | Aramides calopterus Sclater, PL & Salvin, O, 1878 | 16 |
| Slaty-breasted wood rail | Aramides saracura (Spix, JB, 1825) | 17 |
| Grey-throated rail | Canirallus oculeus (Hartlaub, KJG, 1855) | 18 |
| Ridgway's rail | Rallus obsoletus Ridgway, R, 1874 | 19 |
| Aztec rail | Rallus tenuirostris Ridgway, R, 1874 | 20 |
| Mangrove rail | Rallus longirostris Boddaert, P, 1783 | 21 |
| King rail | Rallus elegans Audubon, JJ, 1834 | 22 |
| Clapper rail | Rallus crepitans Gmelin, JF, 1789 | 23 |
| Plain-flanked rail | Rallus wetmorei Zimmer, JT & Phelps, WH Sr, 1944 | 24 |
| Virginia rail | Rallus limicola Vieillot, LJP, 1819 | 25 |
| Ecuadorian rail | Rallus aequatorialis Sharpe, RB, 1894 | 26 |
| Bogota rail | Rallus semiplumbeus Sclater, PL, 1856 | 27 |
| Austral rail | Rallus antarcticus King, PP, 1828 | 28 |
| Water rail | Rallus aquaticus Linnaeus, C, 1758 | 29 |
| Brown-cheeked rail | Rallus indicus Blyth, E, 1849 | 30 |
| African rail | Rallus caerulescens Gmelin, JF, 1789 | 31 |
| Madagascar rail | Rallus madagascariensis Verreaux, JP, 1833 | 32 |
| Rouget's rail | Rougetius rougetii (Guérin-Méneville, FÉ, 1843) | 33 |
| African crake | Crecopsis egregia (Peters, WKH, 1854) | 34 |
| Reunion rail | Dryolimnas augusti Mourer-Chauviré, C, Bour, R, Ribes, S & Moutou, F, 1999 (Extinct) | 35 |
| White-throated rail | Dryolimnas cuvieri (Pucheran, J, 1845) | 36 |
| Red rail | Aphanapteryx bonasia (de Sélys Longchamps, ME, 1848) (Extinct) | 37 |
| Rodrigues rail | Erythromachus leguati Milne-Edwards, A, 1873 (Extinct) | 38 |
| Hawkins's rail | Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi (Forbes, HO, 1892) (Extinct) | 39 |
| St. Helena rail | Aphanocrex podarces Wetmore, A, 1963 (Extinct) | 40 |
| Ascension crake | Mundia elpenor (Olson, SL, 1973) (Extinct) | 41 |
| Corn crake | Crex crex (Linnaeus, C, 1758) | 42 |
| Snoring rail | Aramidopsis plateni (Blasius, W, 1886) | 43 |
| Slaty-breasted rail | Lewinia striata (Linnaeus, C, 1766) | 44 |
| Brown-banded rail | Lewinia mirifica (Parkes, KC & Amadon, DA, 1959) | 45 |
| Lewin's rail | Lewinia pectoralis (Temminck, CJ, 1831) | 46 |
| Auckland rail | Lewinia muelleri (Rothschild, LW, 1893) | 47 |
| Calayan rail | Gallirallus calayanensis Allen, DNS, Oliveros, CH, Española, C, Broad, G & Gonzalez, JCT, 2004 | 48 |
| Invisible rail | Gallirallus wallacii (Gray, GR, 1861) | 49 |
| Chestnut rail | Gallirallus castaneoventris (Gould, J, 1844) | 50 |
| Weka | Gallirallus australis (Sparrman, A, 1786) | 51 |
| New Caledonian rail | Gallirallus lafresnayanus Verreaux, JP & des Murs, MAPO, 1860 | 52 |
| Lord Howe woodhen | Gallirallus sylvestris (Sclater, PL, 1870) | 53 |
| Okinawa rail | Gallirallus okinawae (Yamashina, Y & Mano, T, 1981) | 54 |
| Tahiti rail | Gallirallus pacificus (Gmelin, JF, 1789) (Extinct) | 55 |
| Buff-banded rail | Gallirallus philippensis (Linnaeus, C, 1766) | 56 |
| Chatham rail | Gallirallus modestus (Hutton, FW, 1872) (Extinct) | 57 |
| Dieffenbach's rail | Gallirallus dieffenbachii (Gray, GR, 1843) (Extinct) | 58 |
| Pink-legged rail | Gallirallus insignis (Sclater, PL, 1880) | 59 |
| Woodford's rail | Gallirallus woodfordi (Ogilvie-Grant, WR, 1889) | 60 |
| Bar-winged rail | Gallirallus poecilopterus (Hartlaub, KJG, 1866) (Extinct) | 61 |
| Guam rail | Gallirallus owstoni (Rothschild, LW, 1895) | 62 |
| Wake Island rail | Gallirallus wakensis (Rothschild, LW, 1903) (Extinct) | 63 |
| Barred rail | Gallirallus torquatus (Linnaeus, C, 1766) | 64 |
| Roviana rail | Gallirallus rovianae Diamond, JM, 1991 | 65 |
| Nkulengu rail | Himantornis haematopus Hartlaub, KJG, 1855 | 66 |
| Blue-faced rail | Gymnocrex rosenbergii (Schlegel, H, 1866) | 67 |
| Bare-eyed rail | Gymnocrex plumbeiventris (Gray, GR, 1862) | 68 |
| Talaud rail | Gymnocrex talaudensis Lambert, FR, 1998 | 69 |
| Spot-flanked gallinule | Porphyriops melanops (Vieillot, LJP, 1819) | 70 |
| Black-tailed nativehen | Tribonyx ventralis (Gould, J, 1837) | 71 |
| Tasmanian nativehen | Tribonyx mortierii Du Bus de Gisignies, B-AL, 1840 | 72 |
| Sora | Porzana carolina (Linnaeus, C, 1758) | 73 |
| Spotted crake | Porzana porzana (Linnaeus, C, 1766) | 74 |
| Australian crake | Porzana fluminea Gould, J, 1843 | 75 |
| Lesser moorhen | Paragallinula angulata (Sundevall, CJ, 1850) | 76 |
| Makira woodhen | Gallinula silvestris (Mayr, E, 1933) | 77 |
| Tristan moorhen | Gallinula nesiotis Sclater, PL, 1861 (Extinct) | 78 |
| Gough moorhen | Gallinula comeri (Allen, JA, 1892) | 79 |
| Common moorhen | Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus, C, 1758) | 80 |
| Common gallinule | Gallinula galeata (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1818) | 81 |
| Dusky moorhen | Gallinula tenebrosa Gould, J, 1846 | 82 |
| Samoan woodhen | Gallinula pacifica (Hartlaub, KJG & Finsch, FHO, 1871) | 83 |
| Red-fronted coot | Fulica rufifrons Philippi, RA & Landbeck, CL, 1861 | 84 |
| Horned coot | Fulica cornuta Bonaparte, CLJL, 1853 | 85 |
| Red-gartered coot | Fulica armillata Vieillot, LJP, 1817 | 86 |
| Giant coot | Fulica gigantea Eydoux, JFT & Souleyet, LFA, 1841 | 87 |
| Eurasian coot | Fulica atra Linnaeus, C, 1758 | 88 |
| Red-knobbed coot | Fulica cristata Gmelin, JF, 1789 | 89 |
| Mascarene coot | Fulica newtonii Milne-Edwards, A, 1867 (Extinct) | 90 |
| Hawaiian coot | Fulica alai Peale, TR, 1849 | 91 |
| American coot | Fulica americana Gmelin, JF, 1789 | 92 |
| White-winged coot | Fulica leucoptera Vieillot, LJP, 1817 | 93 |
| Andean coot | Fulica ardesiaca Tschudi, JJ, 1843 | 94 |
| Allen's gallinule | Porphyrio alleni Thomson, TRH, 1842 | 95 |
| Purple gallinule | Porphyrio martinica (Linnaeus, C, 1766) | 96 |
| Azure gallinule | Porphyrio flavirostris (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 97 |
| Marquesan swamphen | Porphyrio paepae Steadman, DW, 1988 (Extinct) | 98 |
| Purple swamphen | Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus, C, 1758) | 99 |
| South Island takahe | Porphyrio hochstetteri (Meyer, AB, 1883) | 100 |
| White swamphen | Porphyrio albus (Shaw, G, 1790) (Extinct) | 101 |
| North Island takahe | Porphyrio mantelli (Owen, R, 1848) (Extinct) | 102 |
| Ocellated crake | Rufirallus schomburgkii (Schomburgk, MR, 1848) | 103 |
| Russet-crowned crake | Rufirallus viridis (Müller, PLS, 1776) | 104 |
| Black-banded crake | Rufirallus fasciatus (Sclater, PL & Salvin, O, 1868) | 105 |
| Red-and-white crake | Rufirallus leucopyrrhus (Vieillot, LJP, 1819) | 106 |
| Rufous-faced crake | Rufirallus xenopterus (Conover, HB, 1934) | 107 |
| Swinhoe's rail | Coturnicops exquisitus (Swinhoe, R, 1873) | 108 |
| Yellow rail | Coturnicops noveboracensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 109 |
| Inaccessible Island rail | Laterallus rogersi (Lowe, PR, 1923) | 110 |
| Speckled rail | Laterallus notatus (Gould, J, 1841) | 111 |
| Yellow-breasted crake | Laterallus flaviventer (Boddaert, P, 1783) | 112 |
| Rusty-flanked crake | Laterallus levraudi (Sclater, PL & Salvin, O, 1869) | 113 |
| Rufous-sided crake | Laterallus melanophaius (Vieillot, LJP, 1819) | 114 |
| Ruddy crake | Laterallus ruber (Sclater, PL & Salvin, O, 1860) | 115 |
| White-throated crake | Laterallus albigularis (Lawrence, GN, 1861) | 116 |
| Grey-breasted crake | Laterallus exilis (Temminck, CJ, 1831) | 117 |
| Galapagos crake | Laterallus spilonota (Gould, J, 1841) | 118 |
| Black rail | Laterallus jamaicensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 119 |
| Dot-winged crake | Laterallus spiloptera (Durnford, H, 1877) | 120 |
| White-browed crake | Poliolimnas cinereus (Vieillot, LJP, 1819) | 121 |
| New Guinea flightless rail | Megacrex inepta d'Albertis, LM & Salvadori, AT, 1879 | 122 |
| Striped crake | Aenigmatolimnas marginalis (Hartlaub, KJG, 1857) | 123 |
| Watercock | Gallicrex cinerea (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 124 |
| Isabelline bush-hen | Amaurornis isabellina (Schlegel, H, 1865) | 125 |
| Plain bush-hen | Amaurornis olivacea (Meyen, FJF, 1834) | 126 |
| White-breasted waterhen | Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant, T, 1769) | 127 |
| Talaud bush-hen | Amaurornis magnirostris Lambert, FR, 1998 | 128 |
| Pale-vented bush-hen | Amaurornis moluccana (Wallace, AR, 1865) | 129 |
| Red-necked crake | Rallina tricolor Gray, GR, 1858 | 130 |
| Andaman crake | Rallina canningi (Blyth, E, 1863) | 131 |
| Red-legged crake | Rallina fasciata (Raffles, TS, 1822) | 132 |
| Slaty-legged crake | Rallina eurizonoides (de Lafresnaye, NFAA, 1845) | 133 |
| Ruddy-breasted crake | Zapornia fusca (Linnaeus, C, 1766) | 134 |
| Band-bellied crake | Zapornia paykullii (Ljungh, SI, 1813) | 135 |
| Brown crake | Zapornia akool (Sykes, WH, 1832) | 136 |
| Black crake | Zapornia flavirostra (Swainson, WJ, 1837) | 137 |
| Little crake | Zapornia parva (Scopoli, GA, 1769) | 138 |
| Baillon's crake | Zapornia pusilla (Pallas, PS, 1776) | 139 |
| St. Helena crake | Zapornia astrictocarpus (Olson, SL, 1975) (Extinct) | 140 |
| Laysan rail | Zapornia palmeri (Frohawk, FW, 1892) (Extinct) | 141 |
| Sakalava rail | Zapornia olivieri (Grandidier, G & Berlioz, J, 1929) | 142 |
| Black-tailed crake | Zapornia bicolor (Walden, A, 1872) | 143 |
| Hawaiian rail | Zapornia sandwichensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) (Extinct) | 144 |
| Tahiti crake | Zapornia nigra (Miller, JF, 1784) (Extinct) | 145 |
| Henderson crake | Zapornia atra (North, AJ, 1908) | 146 |
| Spotless crake | Zapornia tabuensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | 147 |
| Kosrae crake | Zapornia monasa (Kittlitz, FH, 1858) (Extinct) | 148 |
References
- ^ AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.