Plumbeous Rail vs Marquesan Swamphen

Pardirallus sanguinolentus compared with Porphyrio paepae

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Plumbeous Rail Marquesan Swamphen
Scientific Name Pardirallus sanguinolentus Porphyrio paepae
Order Gruiformes Gruiformes
Family Rallidae Rallidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Extinct
Length
Wingspan 25.2 cm (9.9 in)
Weight 224.8 g (7.93 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 4-6 --
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Plumbeous Rail only

None

Marquesan Swamphen only

None

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Plumbeous Rail

Extinct

Marquesan Swamphen

About These Birds

Plumbeous Rail

Plumbeous Rail (Pardirallus sanguinolentus), 28 cm. Slaty grey with a red bill base; inhabits reed beds, swampy grassland and wetland margins from Ecuador to Argentina and Chile. Omnivore. Least Concern; widespread in South American wetlands.

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