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close| Country/Territory | United States Minor Outlying Islands (to USA) |
| Area | 0 |
| Altitude | |
| Priority | - |
| Habitat loss | - |
| Knowledge | - |
General characteristics
Three tiny, low-lying coral atolls (7km2) surrounding a lagoon constitute Wake Island, a US unincorporated territory. The atolls are situated c.550km north of the Marshall Islands (Secondary Area s123) in the north-central Pacific, and are covered by an open scrub forest. The island is a Secondary Area on the basis of its one endemic (extinct) species, Wake Island Rail Gallirallus wakensis, which was last seen in 1945. It has been claimed that this flightless species was eaten by Japanese forces occupying the island and that the bird became extinct as a consequence (Greenway 1967).
| Species | IUCN Category |
|---|---|
| Wake Island Rail (Gallirallus wakensis) | EX |
Recommended citation BirdLife International (2013) Endemic Bird Area factsheet: Wake Island. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/05/2013
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
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