Drummer Rail vs Marquesan Swamphen

Habroptila wallacii compared with Porphyrio paepae

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Drummer Rail Marquesan Swamphen
Scientific Name Habroptila wallacii Porphyrio paepae
Order Gruiformes Gruiformes
Family Rallidae Rallidae
Conservation Status Vulnerable Extinct
Length
Wingspan 32.6 cm (12.8 in)
Weight 1000.0 g (35.27 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size -- --
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Drummer Rail only

None

Marquesan Swamphen only

None

Conservation Status

Vulnerable

Drummer Rail

Extinct

Marquesan Swamphen

About These Birds

Drummer Rail

Drummer Rail (Habroptila wallacii), 38 cm. Large, nearly flightless; grey with brown upperparts and a thick red bill. Endemic to Halmahera, Indonesia. Inhabits lowland primary forest floor. Omnivore; produces a deep drumming call. Vulnerable; deforestation on Halmahera.

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.

More Birds to Explore

Explore the Nature FYI Family