Red rail (SciiFii)

The Red rail (Aphanapteryx bonasia) is a species of flightless rail endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It was once extinct since the 17th century, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced to Mauritius to help boost biodiversity. It has a close relative on Rodrigues island, the Rodrigues rail (Erythromachus leguati), with which it is sometimes considered congeneric. The red rail is a little larger than a chicken and has reddish, hairlike plumage, with dark legs and a long, curved beak. The wings are small, and its legs are slender for a bird of its size. It is similar to the Rodrigues rail, but is larger, and has proportionally shorter wings. It is often compared to a kiwi or a limpkin in appearance and behaviour. It usually feeds on invertebrates such as snails and insects. The conservation status of the red rail is Endangered due to some habitat loss and, historically, poaching and invasive species, however, thanks to conservationists, the invasive species have been eradicated from the red rail's native island, and the red rails are making a comeback.