Some of the untold casualties of war are often not highlighted because they are not humans. We tend to see animals as acceptable losses. However during the Pacific Campaign of World War 2, the Wake Island Rail actually went extinct.
What is the Wake Island rail?
The Wake Island rail (Gallirallus wakensis) was a small, flightless bird in the rail family (Rallidae) and the only native land bird on Wake Island, a remote Pacific atoll. It was about 22cm long, making it one of the smallest bird in its genus.
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| Wake Island rail, represented in the stamp of Mozambique |
Endemic to the scrub and vegetation of Wake Atoll (a tiny, low-lying coral atoll with three islets), one of the smallest and most isolated places to support an endemic land bird. This turned out to be a deadly sentence to the bird.
World War 2
In December 1941, Japanese forces captured Wake Island after a notable battle with U.S. forces. However due to the American blockade, the starving soldiers hunted and ate the rails (along with other available food sources like tern eggs) as a primary protein source. Because the birds were flightless, small, numerous at first, and not afraid of people, they were easy to catch.
Furthermore, military activities like bombing and construction further destroyed the habitat.
By the time the Americans recaptured the island in 1945, the birds were missing.
Conclusion
This makes the Wake Island rail a rare example of a bird driven to extinction directly as a consequence of wartime conditions. Few photos, specimens, and detailed records remain, though a 2011 scientific paper compiled much of what is known from museum specimens and archival notes.
It serves as a somber reminder of how human conflicts can rapidly wipe out unique island species.
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