It was also characterized by ash brown underparts with striking narrow white bars on the belly, the breast, and the flanks.

The ecology of this species is poorly known, though a review published in 2011 has shed more light on its life and subsequent extinction.

The Wake Island rail inhabited Cordia subcordata scrubs and fed on molluscs, insects, worms and seeds which it found by digging up leaves and soil with its bill.

[3] The breeding period started with courtship and copulations in late July, with actual nesting not taking place until mid-August.

Small groups nested cooperatively, with prolonged parental care and feeding by the adults, most likely so that they could defend their young from predation by hermit crabs (Coenobita) and the Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans), with which it was able to co-exist.

When ornithologist Alexander Wetmore observed the species in 1923, he described it as very curious, but quick to flee into cover when disturbed.

Its inability to fly and the island's geographic isolation, combined with the bird's inquisitiveness and lack of fear of humans, made it an easy victim of over-hunting.