Lewin's Rail

Lewin's Rail

Lewinia pectoralis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Blue Mountains National Park
26 Verified sightings at Blue Mountains National Park From 2019 to 2026
109 Verified sightings across all 12 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Lewin's Rail

Lewin's rail (Lewinia pectoralis) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. Its common name and Latin binomial commemorate English naturalist and illustrator William Lewin. It is also known as the water rail, Lewin's water rail, Lewin's grind rail, slate-breasted rail, slate-breasted water rail, pectoral rail, pectoral water rail, short-toed rail and short-toed water rail.

Eight subspecies have been described: L. p. exsul (Hartert, 1898) – Flores, Wallacea New Guinea L. p. mayri (Hartert, 1930) – Arfak Mountains L. p. captus (Mayr & Gilliard, 1951) - central New Guinea L. p. insulsus (Greenway, 1935) - Herzog Mountains

L. p. alberti (Rothschild & Hartert, 1907) - mountains of south-eastern New Guinea Australia L. p. clelandi (Mathews, 1911) – south-western Australia (extinct) L. p. pectoralis (Temminck, 1831) – eastern and south-eastern Australia

L. p. brachipus (Swainson, 1838) – Tasmania Lewin's rail measures 18–27 cm (7.1–10.6 in) in total length, with a wingspan of 31–35 cm (12–14 in). Females average 82 g (2.9 oz) in weight while males average 88 g (3.1 oz). In coloration, the abdomen is a barred black and white and the wings are mottled... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
2 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
3 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
4 Flinders Chase 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
5 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
6 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
7 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
8 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
9 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
10 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
11 Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
12 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Lewin's Rail in Blue Mountains National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lewin's Rail sighting in Blue Mountains National Park, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Lewin's Rail in Blue Mountains National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Lewin's Rail in Blue Mountains National Park in our monthly data.

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