Rails, Gallinules and Coots (Rallidae)

Nkulengu Rail (Himantornis haematopus) - HBW 3, p. 149

French: Râle à pieds rouges German: Rotfußralle Spanish: Rascón Nkulenga

Taxonomy: Himantornis haematopus Hartlaub, 1855, Dabocrom, Ghana.
Has been placed in its own subfamily (Himantornithinae) on basis of primitive skeletal characters, which suggest link with trumpeters of family Psophiidae (see page 108). Sometimes divided into three races, with recognition of petiti of Gabon to C Zaire, and whitesidei of SC & E Zaire, but in view of great individual variation in plumage within ranges of all three proposed races, and overlap of characters between “races”, species probably best treated as monotypic until more extensive studies made. Monotypic.

Distribution: Sierra Leone E to W Uganda and S to coastal and C Zaire.