NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Isabelline Bush-hen
Amaurornis isabellina (Schlegel, 1865)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The isabelline bush-hen (Amaurornis isabellina), also known as Sulawesi waterhen or isabelline waterhen, is a large, up to 40 cm long, rufous and brown rail. The term isabelline refers to the colouration. It is the largest member of the genus Amaurornis. Both sexes are similar with olive brown plumage, pale green bill, greenish brown legs and rufous below.
An Indonesian endemic, the isabelline waterhen is confined to grasslands near waters and lowlands of Sulawesi. The call is a loud "tak-tak-tak-tak".
Widespread throughout its natural habitat, the isabelline waterhen is evaluated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Wikipedia contributors, Isabelline bush-hen; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:37:58.674889+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Amaurornis isabellina (Schlegel, 1865)
- Name authority
- (Schlegel, 1865)
- Common name
- Isabelline Bush-hen
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Amaurornis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderGruiformes
- familyRallidae
- genusAmaurornis Reichenbach, 1853
- speciesAmaurornis isabellina (Schlegel, 1865)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Amaurornis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant, 1769) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Talaud Bush-henAmaurornis magnirostris Lambert, 1998 | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Amaurornis isabellinus (Schlegel, 1865) (Schlegel, 1865) | synonym |
| Rallina isabellina Schlegel, 1865 Schlegel, 1865 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=707811 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5TYPD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.