Vegetation includes Swordgrass (Miscanthus floridulus) grasslands on the upper slopes, forests of Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), with some Pandanus trees and Papaya (Carica papaya) on the lower slopes, along with native Pisonia.
On North Keeling the Rails occupy all the limited ground habitats on the island, including the shore of the lagoon and the understorey vegetation of Pisonia forest and Coconut palms.
The species is found in dense to open forest throughout the island plateau, both in forest dominated by Pisonia and Pisonia/Xylosma, and in Timonius thicket, also occurring in Pandanus-Thespesia-Argusia embayment forests and coconut groves on the beaches (Jones et al. 1995).
Pisonia umbellifera (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) Seem. – Umbrella Catchbirdtree (Indo-Pacific)
St. Pierre Island, Farquhar Group, was once covered by a Pisonia grandis forest.