The Viti Levu Rail was a prehistoric flightless bird from Fiji. The Viti Levu Rail was thought to be about the same size as the Bar-winged Rail

Bar-winged Rail

The Bar-winged Rail was a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It was endemic to Fiji and was last collected ca 1890 in Viti Levu. The species was idenitifed from twelve 19th century specimens, some of which are known to be in Boston, London and New York...

 (Nesoclopeus poecilopterus) but with a very elongated and slender bill.

The name of the genus refers to Viti the island of origin in Fiji and rallus for rails. The species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 name watlingi is after the ornithologist Dr Dick Watling.

Remains of this species were discovered in September 1998 at Viti Levu

Viti Levu

Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...

, the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. It was first described by Trevor H. Worthy in 2004. The holotype

Holotype

A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...

 is in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...

.