Sakalava rail

Sakalava rail performs many bird vocalizations. They emit a “tic–tic” or “tic-tic-tic huaw” call while flicking their tail. They also simultaneously communicate with their partner by vocalizing a “truwruru” every 4 to 6 seconds while motionless.[2] Before mating, both males and females stand side-by-side and simultaneously emit a loud “prourourou”.[5] Chicks can also call a loud “kiouw” every 3 to 5 seconds.[2]

More than half of Sakalava rail's diet is composed of spiders, while the remaining portion is made up of insects, crustaceans and molluscs found under floating vegetation.[1]

The male Sakalava 4ail has to perform an elaborate courtship display in order to mate. First, the male leads and presents to the female possible nest sites while calling loudly. The male vocalizes to invite the female to visit the site.[5] Then, the male would carry material and begin building a nest. When the female approves of the site, she would immediately assist in constructing the nest.[5] If she did not find the site suitable, she would not assist in nest construction, which would cause the male to move to another site and repeat this courtship behavior until a suitable nesting site is found.[5]

A breeding pair of Sakalava rail builds a new nest every breeding season. Both sexes participate in building the nest and they usually complete the construction in 3 days.[5] The nest is made of dead Phragmites reeds and is situated 50 to 70 cm above the water.[5] The nest can be built on floating vegetation or inside a deep tunnel of leaves.[5]

Both female and male Sakalava rail incubate the eggs. The egg incubation period usually lasts 16 days and egg-laying occurs from July to September.[5] The clutch size is 2 or 3 eggs of pale cream color with brown spots.[2][5] Both sexes feed the downy black chicks until they reach 40 days of age.[5] The adults then stop providing food and start chasing the precocial chicks out of the nest. At 45 days old, the chicks are completely independent and leave the nest.[5]

Sakalava rail is classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List due to the degradation of wetlands in Madagascar. Habitat loss is a major threat to this rail species when the shores of marshes where Sakalava rails nest are converted into rice fields.[1][2] Also, human disturbance degrades the habitat of Sakalava rails when local populations burn and collect Phragmites reeds.[2] Indeed, the surface area occupied by reeds has decreased by 80% between 1949 and 2008 due to increased turbidity from erosion.[6] These wetlands of western Madagascar are also home to five other threatened bird species: Madagascar fish eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides), Madagascar heron (Ardea humbloti), Madagascar sacred ibis (Threskiornis bernieri), Madagascar teal (Anas bernieri) and the Madagascar plover (Charadrius thoracicus).[7] Conservation actions such as creating protected areas are underway to preserve these ecosystems and their rare bird species.[1]