Chestnut Rail vs Marquesan Swamphen

Eulabeornis castaneoventris compared with Porphyrio paepae

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Chestnut Rail Marquesan Swamphen
Scientific Name Eulabeornis castaneoventris Porphyrio paepae
Order Gruiformes Gruiformes
Family Rallidae Rallidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Extinct
Length
Wingspan 43.0 cm (16.9 in)
Weight 699.0 g (24.66 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 4-5 --
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Chestnut Rail only

Marquesan Swamphen only

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Chestnut Rail

Extinct

Marquesan Swamphen

About These Birds

Chestnut Rail

Chestnut Rail (Eulabeornis castaneoventris), 40 cm. Grey head and back; warm chestnut belly; red bill. Inhabits mangrove and tidal forest of northern Australia and southern New Guinea. Omnivore: crabs, fish and invertebrates. Least Concern; mangrove specialist.

Marquesan Swamphen

Marquesan Swamphen (Porphyrio paepae) is an extinct flightless swamphen known only from subfossil bones from the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia. Lost following Polynesian settlement and later European contact. Part of the broader pattern of Pacific island rail extinctions linked to human arrival and introduced rats.

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