page_title: List of birds of Tonga
section_title: Rails, crakes, gallinules and coots
hierarchical_section_title: List of birds of Tonga / Rails, crakes, gallinules and coots
caption_attribution_description: Buff-banded Rail, Gallirallus philippensis ecaudata, Fafa island, Tonga
context_page_description: This is a list of the bird species recorded in Tonga. The avifauna of Tonga include a total of 73 species, of which two are endemic, five have been introduced by humans and eight are rare or accidental. Seven species are globally threatened.
  This list's taxonomic treatment and nomenclature follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for Tonga.
  The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fall into any of these categories.
  Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Tonga
  Endemic - a species endemic to Tonga
  (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Tonga as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
context_section_description: Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae
  Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.
  Buff-banded rail, Gallirallus philippensis
  Spotless crake, Porzana tabuensis
  Australasian swamphen, Porphyrio melanotus
caption: Buff-banded rail
exif: {}