CreatureData

Okinawa rail

Hypotaenidia okinawae (Yamashina & Mano, 1981)

ENEndangeredbirds

The okinawa rail (Hypotaenidia okinawae) is a species in the family Rallidae, order Gruiformes. Recorded adults weigh 433 g to 433.8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the okinawa rail

Weight
433 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the okinawa rail live?

Not recorded

What is the okinawa rail?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Okinawa rail (Gallirallus okinawae) is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae. It is endemic to Okinawa Island in Japan where it is known as the Yanbaru kuina (ヤンバルクイナ(山原水鶏), "Yanbaru rail"). Its existence was only confirmed in 1978 and it was formally described in 1981 although unidentified rails had been recorded on the island since at least 1973 and local stories of a bird known as the agachi kumira may refer to this species. The species was formerly placed in the genus Hypotaenidia.

It is a medium-sized and almost flightless rail with short wings and tail, olive-brown upperparts, black underparts with white bars and a red bill and legs.

It occurs in subtropical moist forests and in neighboring habitats. It nests and feeds on the ground but usually roosts in trees. It is classified as an endangered species and is threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators.

From the Wikipedia article “Okinawa rail” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Okinawa_rail&oldid=1383635572), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the okinawa rail endangered?

The okinawa rail is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.

How is the okinawa rail classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderGruiformes
  5. familyRallidae
  6. genusHypotaenidia
  7. SpeciesHypotaenidia okinawae (Yamashina & Mano, 1981)

Synonyms Gallirallus okinawae, Habropteryx okinawae, Rallus okinawae

Other names and names in other languages (30)
  • rascló d'OkinawaCatalan
  • chřástal okinawskýCzech
  • OkinawarikseDanish
  • OkinawaralleGerman
  • okinavo raloEsperanto
  • Rascón de OkinawaSpanish
  • okinawa ruikEstonian
  • okinawanluhtakanaFinnish
  • Râle d'OkinawaFrench
  • Râle d’OkinawaFrench
  • okinavska kokošicaCroatian
  • okinawai guvatHungarian
  • Rallo di OkinawaItalian
  • ヤンバルクイナJapanese
  • okinavinė vištelėLithuanian
  • Okinavas rallisLatvian
  • OkinawaralDutch
  • wodnik okinawskiPolish
  • sanã-de-okinawaPortuguese
  • frango-d'água-de-okinawaPortuguese
  • frango-de-água-de-oquinavaPortuguese
  • Окинавский трескунRussian
  • Окинавский пастушокRussian
  • chriašteľ okinavskýSlovak
  • Petlovan sa OkinaveSerbian
  • okinawarallSwedish
  • Okinava YelvesiTurkish
  • пастушок окінавськийUkrainian
  • 冲绳秧鸡Chinese
  • 沖繩秧雞Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the okinawa rail

Other species in the same genus Hypotaenidia.

LC, Least Concern
Barred rail (Hypotaenidia torquata)

Barred rail

Hypotaenidia torquata

Rallidae

NT, Near Threatened

Pink-legged rail

Hypotaenidia insignis

RallidaeNo free photo yet

CompareOkinawa rail vs Barred railOkinawa rail vs Bar-winged railOkinawa rail vs Hypotaenidia vavauensisOkinawa rail vs Lord Howe woodhen

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the okinawa rail?

An adult okinawa rail weighs 433 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the okinawa rail endangered?

The okinawa rail is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the okinawa rail?

The okinawa rail (Hypotaenidia okinawae) belongs to the family Rallidae in the order Gruiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Okinawa rail (Hypotaenidia okinawae). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/okinawa-rail

MLA

“Okinawa rail (Hypotaenidia okinawae).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/okinawa-rail.

BibTeX
@misc{okinawa_rail_2026,
  title = {Okinawa rail (Hypotaenidia okinawae)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/okinawa-rail},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}