Birds at the Ponds > Index

Alice Springs Waste Stabilisation Ponds

The Buff-banded Rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis) is a medium-sized stout rail with short legs. Distinctively coloured, with grey-white eyebrows. The lores, cheek and hindneck are rich chestnut, with grey chin and throat, the upperparts are streaked brown and the underparts barred black and white with an orange-brown band on the breast. It has reddish eyes.

Buff-banded Rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds © Dorothy Latimer
Buff-banded Rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds © Dorothy Latimer

The Buff-banded Rails walks slowly, with their tail raised and constantly flicking. They have an average size of about 31 cm.

They are omnivorous scavenger that feeds on a range of terrestrial invertebrates and small vertebrates, carrion, fallen fruit, seeds and other vegetable matter. Their nest is usually situated in dense grassy or reedy vegetation close to water.

This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-west Pacific region, including the Philippines (where it is known as tikling), New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand (where it is known as the banded rail, or moho-pererū in Māori), and numerous smaller islands, covering a range of latitudes from the tropics to the subantarctic.1

The photographs presented here were taking over the years in the month of September and October.


  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Informal: Gnathostomata
  • Class: Aves
  • Order: Gruiformes
  • Family: Rallidae
  • Subfamily: Rallinae
  • Genus: Hypotaenidia
  • Species: Hypotaenidia philippensis
  • Subspecies:
    • Hypotaenidia philippensis andrewsi (Mathews, 1911)
    • Hypotaenidia philippensis macquariensis (Hutton, 1879)
    • Hypotaenidia philippensis mellori (Mathews, 1912)
    • Hypotaenidia philippensis tounelieri (Schodde & de Naurois, 1982)

Footnote & References

  1. Hypotaenidia philippensis (Linnaeus, 1766), Buff-Banded Rail, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Hypotaenidia philippensis

Birds at the PondsBirds Index Australasian Darter Australasian Grebe Australasian Shoveler Australian Hobby Australian Pelican Australian Pratincole Australian Reed Warbler Australian Shelduck Australian Spotted Crake Australian White Ibis Baillon’s Crake Banded Stilt Black-faced Woodswallow Black-shouldered Kite Black-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Native Hen Black Kite Black Swan Brown Falcon Budgerigar Buff-banded Rail Caspian Tern Common Sandpiper Crimson Chat Curlew Sandpiper Diamond Dove Emu Fairy Martin Flock Bronzewing Freckled Duck Glossy Ibis Grey Teal Gull-billed Tern Hardhead Hoary-headed Grebe Latham’s Snipe Little Black Cormorant Little Corella Little Crow Little Grassbird Long-toed Stint Marsh Sandpiper Masked Lapwing Musk Duck Orange Chat Pectoral Sandpiper Pied Stilt Pink Cockatoo Plumed Whistling-Duck Purple-backed Fairywren Red-capped Plover Red-kneed Dotterel Red-necked Avocet Red-necked Stint Ruff Sanderling Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Splendid Fairy-wren Straw-necked Ibis Royal Spoonbill Tree Martin Variegated Fairywren Wedge-tailed Eagle Whiskered Tern Whistling Kite White-faced Heron White-winged Fairywren Willie Wagtail Yellow-billed Spoonbill Zebra Finch

Alice Springs Waste Stabilisation PondsBirds Insects Spiders Wildlife Landscape Landscape of Birds

Alice Springs AttractionsAlice Springs Desert Park Alice Springs Reptile Centre Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve Alice Springs Waste Stabilisation Ponds Alice Springs Walks Untyeyetwelye • ANZAC Hill Araluen Cultural Precinct Bird Watching in Alice Springs and Central Australia Central Australian Aviation Museum The Gathering Garden John Flynn’s Grave Historical Reserve Kunoth Bore Olive Pink Botanic Garden Royal Flying Doctor Service National Road Transport Museum Women’s Musuem of Australia

Alice SpringsMparntwe Alice Springs Accommodation Alice Springs Pet Friendly Accommodation Alice Springs Art & Culture Alice Springs Attractions Alice Springs Directory Alice Springs Distance Alice Springs Festival & Events Alice Springs Flora and Fauna Alice Springs Fauna Alice Springs Flora Getting Around Alice Springs Alice Springs Aboriginal Tours Alice Springs Tours Alice Springs Tours – Other