About the Marquesan Swamphen
The Marquesas swamphen is an extinct species of swamphen from the Marquesas Islands Hiva Oa and Tahuata. It was originally described from 600-year-old subfossil remains from Tahuata and Hiva Oa. It may have survived to around 1900; in the lower right corner of Paul Gauguin's 1902 painting Le Sorcier d'Hiva Oa ou le Marquisien à la cape rouge there is a bird which resembles native descriptions of Porphyrio paepae. Thor Heyerdahl claimed to have seen a similar flightless bird on Hiva Oa in 1937.
Source: Wikipedia
Taxonomy & Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Gruiformes |
| Family | Rails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae) |
| Species | Porphyrio paepae |
| Species Codes | marswa1, MASW |
| Conservation | extinct |
Frequently Asked Questions
What family does the Marquesan Swamphen belong to?
The Marquesan Swamphen (Porphyrio paepae) belongs to the Rails, Gallinules, and Coots family (Rallidae), in the order Gruiformes.
How can I identify the Marquesan Swamphen?
The Marquesas swamphen is an extinct species of swamphen from the Marquesas Islands Hiva Oa and Tahuata. It was originally described from 600-year-old subfossil remains from Tahuata and Hiva Oa. It may have survived to around 1900; in the lower right corner of Paul Gauguin's 1902 painting Le Sorcier...
Where can I report a Marquesan Swamphen sighting?
You can log sightings of Marquesan Swamphen on eBird (ebird.org) using species code marswa1, or on iNaturalist.
Related Species in Rails, Gallinules, and Coots 156 species
More Birds in Order Gruiformes
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