Dryolimnas cuvieri
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The white-throated rail (Dryolimnas cuvieri) or Cuvier's rail is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is a fairly large rail, and has a flightless subspecies. The white-throated rail measures 30–33 cm (12–13 in) in length. Males are larger than females. In the nominate subspecies, D. c. cuvieri, males weigh 276 g (9.7 oz) while the female weighs 258 g (9.1 oz). Another subspecies, D. c. aldabranus, is smaller and paler in coloration, weighing 176 g (6.2 oz) in females and 189 g (6.7 oz) in males. This subspecies is flightless. Generally, the white-throated rail is a fairly large rail with a dusky abdomen and thighs with white on its throat and undertail-coverts.
It is resident in Madagascar and breeds in the Seychelles, particularly on Aldabra Island. The nominate subspecies is found in Madagascar. A flightless subspecies (sometimes considered a distinct species), Dryolimnas (cuvieri) aldabranus (Aldabra rail), inhabits Aldabra, while the semi-flightless subspecies D. c. abbotti (Assumption Island rail) from Assumption Island went extinct in the early 20th century due to introduced predators. A fourth extinct flightless... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 3 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Rail sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 72nd most-seen of the 102 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and October–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Rail in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–May, July and September, the lowest months. January and June have too few records to rate.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-throated Rail sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate White-throated Rail sightings, Ranomafana National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 20%) and Ankarafantsika National Park (Madagascar, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-throated Rail is recorded against all the birds logged in Ranomafana National Park (42 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
