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Nkulengu rail
in Ankasa Forest Reserve, Ghana
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Gruiformes
Family:	Rallidae
Genus:	Himantornis Hartlaub, 1855
Species:	H. haematopus
Binomial name
Himantornis haematopus Hartlaub, 1855

The Nkulengu rail (Himantornis haematopus) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It belongs to the monotypic genus Himantornis.

For long, this singular rail was considered a member of a distinct subfamily Himantornithinae. This was based on the assumption that it was a sort of "living fossil", as it resembles other Gruiformes rather than other rails in many traits. But as it seems, the supposed plesiomorphies are actually atavistic or otherwise re-evolved traits in reaction to its African rainforest habitat. Its closest living relatives seem to be the Asian genera Amaurornis, Gallicrex, Megacrex, and the widespread African Aenigmatolimnas, with Megacrex and Himantornis representing ancient and ecologically quite similar lineages at the extreme ends of the group's distribution. However a later genetic study found that it was basal to the radiation containing Porzana, Tribonyx, Gallinula and Fulica.

It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Uganda.

It is notoriously difficult to visually observe, preferring to hide, but has a loud and distinctive call often made in pairs.

References

1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Himantornis haematopus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22692256A181597957. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22692256A181597957.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. "ITIS Report: Himantornis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
3. Garcia-R et al. (2014): "Deep global evolutionary radiation in birds: Diversification and trait evolution in the cosmopolitan bird family Rallidae"
4. Garcia-R, Juan C.; Lemmon, Emily Moriarty; Lemmon, Alan R.; French, Nigel (2020-02-07). "Phylogenomic Reconstruction Sheds Light on New Relationships and Timescale of Rails (Aves: Rallidae) Evolution". Diversity. 12 (2): 70. doi:10.3390/d12020070. ISSN 1424-2818.
5. Fisher, David; Demey, Ron (March 2012). "Nkulengu Rail Himantornis haematopus". Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 19 (1): 81–82. doi:10.5962/p.309969. ISSN 1352-481X.

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