page_title: Rail (bird)
section_title: Extant and recently extinct genera
hierarchical_section_title: Rail (bird) / Systematics and evolution / Extant and recently extinct genera
caption_attribution_description: English: Dodo, one-horned sheep, and Mauritius Red Hen (Aphanapteryx bonasia), depiction by Pieter van den Broecke from the year 1632 - 1634 and/or 1646. Nederlands: Gebruikt als illustratie eerst in: P. van den Broecke, Korte historiael ende journaelsche aenteyckeninghe, van al 'tgheen merck-waerdich voorgevallen is, in de langhduerighe reysen, soo nae Cabo Verde, Angola, &amp;c. als insonderheydt van Oost-Indien, Hans Passchiers van Wesbusch, Haarlem, 1634. In deze staat gebruikt in&#160;: I. Commelin, Begin ende voortgangh, van de Vereenighde Nederlantsche Geoctroyeerde Oost-Indische Compagnie, J. Janssonius, Amsterdam 1646. Genummerd: No. 7 (beschrijving Rijksmuseum).
context_page_description: The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small- to medium-sized, ground-living birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules. Many species are associated with wetlands, although the family is found in every terrestrial habitat except dry deserts, polar regions, and alpine areas above the snow line. Members of the Rallidae occur on every continent except Antarctica. Numerous island species are known. The most common rail habitats are marshland and dense forest. They are especially fond of dense vegetation.
context_section_description: The list maintained by Frank Gill, Pamela Rasmussen and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) contains 152 species divided into 44 genera. For more detail, see List of rail species.
  Canirallus – grey-throated rail
  Mustelirallus – ash-throated crake
  Neocrex – (2 species)
  Cyanolimnas – Zapata rail
  Pardirallus (3 species)
  Amaurolimnas – uniform crake
  Aramides – wood rails (8 species)
  Rallus – typical rails (14 species)
  Crecopsis – African crake
  Rougetius – Rouget's rail
  Dryolimnas – (1 living species, 1 recently extinct)
  Crex – corn crake
  Aramidopsis – snoring rail
  Lewinia – (4 species)
  Diaphorapteryx – Hawkins's rail (recently extinct)
  Habroptila – invisible rail
  Gallirallus – (2 species)
  Eulabeornis – chestnut rail
  Cabalus – (1 living species, 1 recently extinct)
  Hypotaenidia – Austropacific rails (12 species)
  Porphyriops – spot-flanked gallinule
  Porzana – (3 species)
  Tribonyx – nativehens (2 species)
  Paragallinula – lesser moorhen
  Gallinula – moorhens (5 living species, 2 recently extinct)
  Fulica – coots (10 living species, one recently extinct)
  Porphyrio – swamphens and purple gallinules (10 living species, 2 recently extinct)
  Micropygia – ocellated crake
  Rufirallus – (2 species)
  Coturnicops – (3 species)
  Laterallus – (13 species)
  Mundia – Ascension crake (recently extinct)
  Aphanocrex – Saint Helena Rail (recently extinct)
  Zapornia – (10 living species, 5 recently extinct)
  Rallina – (4 species)
  Gymnocrex – (3 species)
  Himantornis – Nkulengu rail
  Megacrex – New Guinea flightless rail
  Poliolimnas – white-browed crake
  Aenigmatolimnas – striped crake
  Gallicrex – watercock
  Amaurornis – bush-hens (5 species)
  Aphanapteryx – red rail (recently extinct)
  Erythromachus – Rodrigues rail (recently extinct)
  Additionally, many prehistoric rails of extant genera are known only from fossil or subfossil remains, such as the Ibiza rail (Rallus eivissensis). These have not been listed here; see the genus accounts and the articles on fossil and Late Quaternary prehistoric birds for these species.
caption: Pieter van den Broecke's 1617 drawing of the red rail of Mauritius, Aphanapteryx bonasia
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