GRUIFORMES Adzebills, rails, and cranes

Symbols and Abbreviations
➤ Indicates a species (cf. subspecies)
† Indicates an extinct taxon
CM, Canterbury Museum, Christchurch
NMNZ, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington

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Order GRUIFORMES: Adzebills, Rails, and Cranes

Family †APTORNITHIDAE Bonaparte: Adzebills

Aptornithidae Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 43(18): 841 – Type genus Aptornis Owen. Name placed in the Official Family-Group Names in Zoology fide ICZN 1997, Opinion 1874. Bull. Zool. Nomenclature 54(2): 142).

This family is recognised following Oliver (1955) and Olson (1985b), but its position has always been controversial. W. Parker (1866) found it closest to the trumpeter Psophia in which he had support from Fürbringer (1888) and Beddard (1898). Cracraft (1982) and Olson (1985b) placed it near the Rhynochetidae (the kagu) of New Caledonia, with Cracraft including both in a group inclusive of trumpeters, seriemas (Cariama), and sunbitterns (Eurypyga). Mitochondrial DNA analyses by Houde et al. (1997) revealed that Aptornis is more basal than rails, and has some association with Psophia, but not with Rhynochetos which is related to Eurypyga and basal in gruid relationships. This basal relationship was confirmed by more comprehensive mtDNA analyses by Lanfear & Bromham (2011) and Boast et al. (2019), with the latter study revealing Aptornis as sister to Sarothruridae (flufftails and wood rails) from Madagascar and Africa, and that the two groups split about 40 million years ago. Aptornithidae + Sarothruridae were sister to finfoots and sungrebe (Heliornithidae), with this combined clade sister to Rallidae (Boast et al. 2019).

Genus †Aptornis G.A. Mantell

Aptornis G.A. Mantell, 1848 (2 Feb.): Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. London 4: 233 – Type species (by monotypy) Dinornis otidiformis Owen = Aptornis otidiformis (Owen).

Apterornis Owen, 1848 (13 Apr.): Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1848 (16): 1. Rejected and invalid (fide ICZN 1997, Opinion 1874. Bull. Zool. Nomenclature 54(2): 142).

Aptornis Owen, 1848 (22 Apr.): Trans. Zool. Soc. London 3(5): 347 – Type species (by monotypy) Dinornis otidiformis = Aptornis otidiformis (Owen). Name placed in the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology (fide ICZN 1997, Opinion 1874. Bull. Zool. Nomenclature 54(2): 142). Junior homonym and synonym of Aptornis G.A. Mantell.

Olson (1985b) advocated the priority of Apterornis Owen, 1848 over Aptornis Owen, 1848, but the latter was conserved in Opinion 1874 (ICZN 1997). However, G.A. Mantell (1848) had priority over R. Owen (1848) and is thus the author of the genus. The two recent species are estimated to have separated 2.3–0.2 million years ago (Boast et al. 2019).

➤ †Aptornis otidiformis (Owen)
North Island Adzebill

Dinornis otidiformis Owen, 1843: The Literary Gazette 1402: 778. Nomen nudum.

Dinornis otidiformis Owen, 1844: Trans. Zool. Soc. London 3(3): 247 – Poverty Bay, Gisborne. Name placed in the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology (fide ICZN 1997, Opinion 1874. Bull. Zool. Nomenclature 54(2): 142).

Aptornis otidiformis (Owen); Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 132, 178.

Extinct. North Island. Common in Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits, but rare in middens (Holdaway et al. 2001; Worthy & Holdaway 2002; Tennyson & Martinson 2007).

➤ †Aptornis defossor Owen
South Island Adzebill | Ngutu Hahau

Aptornis defossor Owen, 1871: Trans. Zool. Soc. London 7(5): 354, pls 40–44 – Oamaru.

Aptornis bulleri Owen, 1887 (Jul.): in Buller, History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 1 (part 1): 23 – Albury, South Canterbury.

Extinct. South Island. Common in Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits, but rare in middens (Holdaway et al. 2001; Worthy & Holdaway 2002; Tennyson & Martinson 2007).

Family RALLIDAE Rafinesque: Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

We follow the taxonomic hierarchy proposed for Rallidae by Kirchman et al. (2021).

Subfamily HIMANTORNITHINAE Verheyen: Coots, Gallinules, Swamphens, and Crakes

Himantornithinae Verheyen, 1957: Bull. Inst. Roy. Sci. Nat. Belgique 33(21): 25 – Type genus Himantornis Hartlaub, 1855. [Not Himanthornithinae Gray, 1871, which was based on type genus “2036. Himanthornis, Temm.” in Bonaparte (1854: 150) (nomen nudum).]

Tribe FULICINI Nitzsch: Coots and Gallinules

Fulicariae Nitzsch, 1829: Observationes de avium arteria carotide communi: 17 – Type genus Fulica Linnaeus, 1758.

Genus Tribonyx du Bus de Gisignies

Tribonyx du Bus de Gisignies, 1840 (Apr.): Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Bruxelles 7(1): 212 – Type species (by monotypy) Tribonyx mortierii du Bus de Gisignies.

Brachyptrallus Lafresnaye, 1840 (Aug.): Rev. de Zool., Paris: 231 – Type species (by monotypy) Brachyptrallus ralloides Lafresnaye = Tribonyx mortierii du Bus de Gisignies.

Microtribonyx Sharpe, 1893: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1: 29 – Type species (by original designation) Microtribonyx ventralis (Gould) = Tribonyx ventralis (Gould).

Pyramida Oliver, 1955: New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 595 – Type species (by monotypy) Rallus hodgeni Scarlett = Tribonyx hodgenorum (Scarlett).

Pyramidia Oliver, 1955: New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 596 – Misspelling.

We follow the recommendation of Christidis & Boles (2008), Dickinson & Remsen (2013), and Sangster et al. (2015) to use the genus Tribonyx rather than Gallinula (cf. Checklist Committee 2010) for the black-tailed native-hen. Sangster et al. (2015) used molecular phylogenetics to demonstrate that Gallinula sensu lato was not monophyletic, and that the black-tailed native-hen (T. ventralis) and Tasmanian native-hen (T. mortierii) were not closely related to other living species of Gallinula. This supported the morphological phylogeny proposed by Livezey (1998), who also placed these two species in Tribonyx.

➤ Tribonyx ventralis (Gould)
Black-tailed Native-hen

Gallinula ventralis Gould, 1837: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1836 (4): 85 – Swan River, Western Australia.

Microtribonyx ventralis (Gould); Sharpe 1893, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1: 29.

Tribonyx ventralis whitei Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 194 – Nevertire, north-western New South Wales, Australia.

Tribonyx ventralis territorii Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 195 – Alexandria, Northern Territory, Australia.

Tribonyx ventralis (Gould); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 41.

Gallinula ventralis Gould; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 123.

Australia. Straggler to New Zealand. At least six records: Oraki, Colac Bay / Ōraka, Southland (1923); Tukituki River, Hawke’s Bay (May 1957); Kongahu Swamp, Karamea (Aug.–Nov. 1984); Opuatia Swamp, Waikato (May 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1993: 610); Lake Hood, Canterbury, Aug. 2002 (Medway 2002d); and near Ashburton, Dec. 2011 (Miskelly et al. 2013).

➤ †Tribonyx hodgenorum (Scarlett)
Hodgens’ Waterhen

Rallus hodgeni Scarlett, 1955: Rec. Cant. Museum 6: 265 – Pyramid Valley Swamp, Canterbury.

Pyramidia [sic] hodgeni (Scarlett); Oliver 1955, New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 596.

Gallirallus hartreei Scarlett, 1970: Notornis 17: 70 – near Napier.

Capellirallus hodgeni (Scarlett); Scarlett 1970, Notornis 17: 71.

Gallinula (Tribonyx) hodgeni (Scarlett); Olson 1975, Nat. Mus. N.Z. Rec. 1: 68.

Gallinula hodgenorum (Scarlett); Olson 1986, Notornis 33: 32 – Emendation.

Gallinula hodgeni (Scarlett); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 123.

Tribonyx hodgenorum (Scarlett); Livezey 1998, Phil. Trans. Biol. Sci. (B) 353: 2100.

Gallinula hodgenorum (Scarlett); Checklist Committee 2010, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 187.

New Zealand. Late Pleistocene and Holocene remains in North and South Island sites, including middens. Extinct.

Hodgens’ waterhen is considered part of the same clade as Tasmanian native-hen and black-tailed native-hen (Olson 1975; Livezey 1998), hence we recommend its placement in Tribonyx (rather than Gallinula, cf. Checklist Committee 2010).

Genus Porzana Vieillot

Porzana Vieillot, 1816: Analyse Nouv. Ornith. Elem.: 61 – Type species (by monotypy and tautonymy) “Marouette” of Buffon = Porzana porzana (Linnaeus).

We follow the recommendation of Dickinson & Remsen (2013) and Chesser et al. (2016), based on the analyses of Slikas et al. (2002) and Garcia-R et al. (2014), to use the genus Zapornia for spotless crake and Baillon’s crake (marsh crake). A restricted Porzana is here retained for P. fluminea.

➤ Porzana fluminea Gould
Australian Crake

Porzana fluminea Gould, 1843: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1842 (10): 139 – New South Wales, Australia.

Ortygometra fluminea (Gould); Hutton 1871, Cat. Birds N.Z.: 33.

Porzana fluminea Gould; Dickinson & Remsen 2013, Howard & Moore Complete Checklist Birds World, 4th edition, 1: 158.

A specimen now held in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (NMNZ OR.004205) is said to have been collected from the “Province of Auckland” and is documented by F. Hutton (1871). This species is irruptive periodically throughout south-east Australia, with records from Tasmania only in irruptive years (Marchant & Higgins 1993).

Genus Gallinula Brisson

Gallinula Brisson, 1760: Ornithologie 1: 50 and 6: 2 – Type species (by tautonymy) Gallinula Brisson = Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus).

Hydrogallina La Cépède, 1799: Tableaux Method. Mamm. Oiseaux: 19 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Fulica chloropus Linnaeus = Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus).

Stagnicola Brehm, 1831: Handb. Naturgesch. Vög. Deutschl: 702 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Fulica chloropus Linnaeus = Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus).

➤ Gallinula tenebrosa Gould
Dusky Moorhen

Gallinula tenebrosa Gould, 1846: Birds of Australia 6, pl. 73 – New South Wales and South Australia, Australia.

Gallinula tenebrosa magnirostris Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 195 – Guildford, Western Australia.

Gallinula tenebrosa subfrontata Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 195 – Richmond River, New South Wales, Australia.

Gallinula tenebrosa Gould; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 123.

Australia, New Guinea, and East Indies. Straggler to New Zealand. Two records, both single birds: Lake Hayes, Otago Aug.–Oct. 1968 (Barlow 1969); near Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora, Feb. 2005 (Scofield 2005a).

➤ Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus)
Common Moorhen

Fulica Chloropus Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1(1): 152. Based on “Gallinula Chloropus” of Albin, 1738 – Europe, restricted to England (fide B. Taylor & van Perlo 1998, Rails: 492).

Gallinula chloropus indica Blyth, 1842: Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal 11: 887 – Calcutta, India.

Gallinula chloropus indica Blyth; Turbott & Scarlett 1964, Notornis 11: 107.

Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus); B. Taylor & van Perlo 1998, Rails: 492.

A specimen in the Canterbury Museum (CM Av2437) is documented as “Otago, ex Smyth collection”. William Smyth worked in Dunedin during the period 1895–1910 (Turbott & Scarlett 1964; Crane & Gill 2018). The closest subspecies to the New Zealand area, G. ch. indica, is sometimes included in the nominate subspecies but was treated as distinct by Peters (1934) and by R. Howard & Moore (1991). It occurs from northern India to Japan, China, Taiwan, and Malaysia and is a seasonal migrant between northern and southern parts of its range.

Genus Fulica Linnaeus

Fulica Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 152 – Type species (by tautonymy) Fulica Linnaeus = Fulica atra Linnaeus.

Palaeolimnas Forbes, 1893: Ibis 5 (6th series): 544 – Type species (by monotypy) Fulica newtoni Milne-Edwards.

Nesophalaris Brodkorb & Dawson, 1962: Auk 79: 268 – Type species (by original designation) Fulica chathamensis Forbes.

Both Fulica novaezelandiae Colenso, 1844 and F. nova-zealandiae Colenso, 1845 are junior synonyms of Poliocephalus rufopectus (G.R. Gray, 1843) (see under Podicipediformes).

➤ Fulica atra Linnaeus
Eurasian Coot

Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 152 – Europe, restricted to Sweden (fide Peters 1934, Check-list Birds World 2: 211).

Europe, North Africa, Asia, New Guinea, and Australia (including Tasmania) (Marchant & Higgins 1993). Recently self-introduced in New Zealand.

Fulica atra australis Gould
Australian Coot

Fulica Australis Gould, 1845: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1845 (13): 2 – Western Australia.

Fulica tasmanica Grant, 1846: Tasm. Journ. Nat. Sci. Agric. 2: 310 – Tasmania, Australia.

Fulica atra ingrami Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 196 – Alexandria, Northern Territory, Australia.

Fulica atra tasmanica Grant; Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 217.

Fulica atra; Stidolph 1927, Emu 26: 217. Not Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758.

Fulica atra australis Gould; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 125.

Australia (including Tasmania); straggler to Macquarie and Norfolk Islands. New Zealand: eight records between 1875 and 1953 (all in South Island). Recorded at Lake Tutira (Hawke’s Bay), 1954. An invasion from Australia apparently occurred c. 1957. First proved breeding at Lake Hayes (Otago), 1958; now widespread and increasing (Small & Soper 1959; R. Jackson & Lyall 1964; R. MacDonald 1968). Vagrant to Stewart Island / Rakiura, Dec. 2012 (Miskelly et al. 2013), Snares Islands / Tini Heke, Apr. 2013 (Miskelly et al. 2015), and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka, Feb. 2012 (Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020).

➤ †Fulica prisca Hamilton
New Zealand Coot

Fulica prisca Hamilton, 1893: Trans. N.Z. lnst. 25: 98 – Castle Rocks, Southland.

Nesophalaris prisca (Hamilton); Brodkorb & Dawson, 1962: Auk 79: 268.

New Zealand. Late Pleistocene and Holocene remains from North and South Island sites, including middens (Millener 1981b). Slightly smaller than the Chatham Island species. Skeletal proportions given in Worthy & Holdaway (2002) indicate that this species was probably volant, contrary to Checklist Committee (1990).

➤ †Fulica chathamensis Forbes
Chatham Island Coot

Fulica chathamensis Forbes, 1892: Nature 46: 252 – Chatham Islands.

Nesophalaris chathamensis (Forbes); Brodkorb & Dawson, 1962: Auk 79: 268.

Chatham Island. Known from Holocene deposits and middens. The osteology of this species and F. prisca were re-examined by Worthy & Holdaway (2002). The differences described by Millener (1980) were not substantiated but other distinct differences in cranial morphology and skeletal proportions support species distinction of these taxa. It was the largest coot in the world, yet its skeletal proportions suggest it was still volant (Worthy & Holdaway 2002).

Tribe PORPHYRIONINI Reichenbach: Swamphens

Porphyrioninae Reichenbach, 1849: Avium Syst. Nat: pl. XIX – Type genus Porphyrio Brisson, 1760.

Genus Porphyrio Brisson

Porphyrio Brisson, 1760: Ornithologie 1: 48 and 5: 522 – Type species (by tautonymy) Fulica porphyrio Linnaeus = Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus).

Notornis Owen, 1848 (22 Jan.): The Literary Gazette 1618: 72 – Type species (by original designation) Notornis mantelli Owen = Porphyrio mantelli (Owen).

Caesarornis Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat. 2(1): 21 – Type species (by monotypy) Gallinula poliocephala Latham = Porphyrio poliocephalus (Latham).

Mantellornis Mathews, 1911: Birds Australia 1: 249 – Type species (by original designation) Notornis hochstetteri A.B. Meyer = Porphyrio hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer).

Taxa formerly included in Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus), which was often called the purple swamphen, have until recently usually been separated into six subspecies groups (e.g. B. Taylor & van Perlo 1998). Here we follow Sangster (1998) and Sangster et al. (1999) in recognising qualitative differences in morphology, supported by mtDNA studies (Trewick 1997a), that show the paraphyletic nature of the species P. porphyrio (sensu B. Taylor & van Perlo 1998). This approach recognises the following six species: western swamphen P. porphyrio (Linnaeus, 1758) (western Mediterranean), African swamphen P. madagascariensis (Latham, 1801), grey-headed swamphen P. poliocephalus (Latham, 1801) (Nicobar Islands and west Thailand to Iraq and Caspian region), Philippine swamphen P. pulverulentus Temminck, 1826, black-backed swamphen P. indicus Horsfield, 1821 (South-east Asia and Greater Sunda Islands), and south-west Pacific swamphen P. melanotus.

➤ Porphyrio melanotus Temminck
South-west Pacific Swamphen

The species Porphyrio melanotus, as defined by Sangster et al. (1999), is polytypic and tentatively includes: P. m. bellus Gould, 1841 from south-west Australia, P. m. melanopterus Bonaparte, 1856 from the Moluccas and Papua New Guinea, P. m. pelewensis Hartlaub & Finsch, 1872 from Palau, and P. m. samoensis Peale 1848 from Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, and Niue, in addition to those listed in synonymy below. For a fuller listing of south-west Pacific taxa see Mathews (1927: 100).

Porphyrio melanotus melanotus Temminck
Pūkeko | Pukeko

Porphyrio melanotus Temminck, 1820: Manuel d’Ornith., 2nd edition. 2: 701 – New South Wales, Australia.

Porphyrio stanleyi Rowley, 1875: Ornith. Miscellany 1: 37 – New Zealand.

Porphyrio chathamensis Sharpe, 1893: Ibis 5 (6th series): 531 – Chatham Islands.

Porphyrio melanonotus Temminck; Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 64. Unjustified emendation.

Porphyrio melanotus fletcherae Mathews, 1911: Birds Australia 1: 243 – Tasmania, Australia.

Porphyrio melanotus neomelanotus Mathews, 1911: Birds Australia 1: 246, pl. 60 – Parry’s Creek, Western Australia.

Porphyrio melanotus stanleyi Rowley; Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 216.

Porphyrio melanotus chathamensis Sharpe; Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 216.

Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus Temminck; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 41.

Porphyrio melanotus Temminck; Wakelin 1968, Notornis 15: 162.

Porphyrio porphyrio; J. Moore 1999, Notornis 46: 359. Not Fulica porphyrio Linnaeus, 1758.

Porphyrio melanotus melanotus Temminck; Sangster et al. 1999, Ardea 87(1): 147.

Australia (including Tasmania), Norfolk Island, and New Zealand. In New Zealand, North and South Islands and Stewart Island / Rakiura; and many offshore and inshore islands, including Kermadec / Rangitāhua, Chatham, Great Barrier / Aotea, Great Mercury / Ahuahu, Waiheke, and Kapiti Islands. Vagrant to Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands, Snares Islands / Tini Heke, Auckland Islands / Maukahuka, and Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku (Bailey & Sorensen 1962; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2017; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Known from only a few late Holocene deposits and middens on the mainland, none likely to be more than a few hundred years old. Recent self-introduction to the Chatham Islands, where no Holocene remains are known.

➤ †Porphyrio mantelli (Owen)
North Island Takahe | Moho

Notornis Mantelli Owen, 1848: Trans. Zool. Soc. London 3(5): 347, pl. 56, figs 7–13 – Waingongoro River, Taranaki.

Porphyrio mantelli mantelli (Owen); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 124.

Porphyrio mantelli (Owen); Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 132, 178.

North Island. Extinct, though a probable example was captured in 1894 in the Ruahine Ranges (Phillipps 1959). Common in Late Pleistocene and Holocene lowland deposits and in middens (Trewick & Worthy 2001). Larger than, and with differing skeletal proportions from, P. hochstetteri, as noted by Meyer (1883, in 1879–1897), Trewick (1996); also differs in mtDNA (Trewick 1997a).

➤ Porphyrio hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer)
South Island Takahe |Takahē

Notornis Mantellii Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – New Zealand. Junior primary homonym of Notornis mantelli Owen, 1848.

Notornis hochstetteri A.B. Meyer, 1883: Abbildungen von Voegel-Skeletten 1(4–5): 28, pls 34–37 – North of Mararoa R., 3.5 miles east Whitestone R. and 9 miles south-east of south end of Lake Te Anau, Fiordland.

Notornis parkeri Forbes, 1892: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 24: 187 – Half a mile east of Patience Bay, Lake Te Anau, Fiordland.

Mantellornis hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 216.

Porphyrio mantelli hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 125.

Porphyrio hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer); Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 132, 178.

South Island. Four live specimens and one skeleton, recently dead, were collected in the south-west corner of the South Island between 1849 and 1898. Then assumed to be extinct until rediscovered by G.B. Orbell (Nov. 1948) west of Lake Te Anau, and subsequently found to be widespread in the Murchison Mountains. Wild population currently maintained by release of captive-bred birds and intensive predator control. Unsuccessfully re-introduced to the Stuart Mountains, Fiordland, 1987–92. Introduced to Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands since the late 1980s; more recently to Rarotoka / Centre Island (Foveaux Strait), Motutapu Island, and to Maungatautari (Waikato). Bones widespread in Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits and in middens (Trewick & Worthy 2001), more often at lowland than subalpine altitudes.

Tribe ZAPORNINI Des Murs: Crakes

Zaporniinae Des Murs, 1860: Traité Gen. d’oologie Ornithologique: 521 – Type genus Zapornia Leach, 1816.

Genus Zapornia Leach

Zapornia Leach, 1816: Syst. Cat. Specimens Mamm. Birds Brit. Museum: 34. – Type species (by monotypy) Zapornia minuta Leach, 1816 = Zapornia parva (Scopoli).

Zaporina J.R. Forster, 1827: Pocket Encycl. Nat. Phen.: 418. Unjustified emendation.

Phalaridion Kaup, 1829: Skizz. Entw.-Gesch. Eur. Thierw.: 173 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Rallus parvus Scopoli = Zapornia parva (Scopoli).

Rallites Pucheran, 1845: Revue Zool.: 277 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Rallus parvus Scopoli = Zapornia parva (Scopoli).

Porzanoidea Mathews, 1912: Austral Avian Rec. 1: 117 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Gallinula immaculata Swainson = Zapornia tabuensis (Gmelin).

Schoenocrex Roberts, 1922: Ann. Transv. Museum 8: 197 – Type species (by original designation) Rallus pusillus Pallas = Zapornia pusilla (Pallas).

See comments under Genus Porzana above explaining why the following two species are included in Zapornia.

➤ Zapornia pusilla (Pallas)
Baillon’s Crake

Rallus pusillus Pallas, 1776: Reise durch verschiedene Provinzen des Russischen Reichs 3: 700 – Dauria, Siberia.

Zapornia pusilla (Pallas); Dickinson & Remsen 2013, Howard & Moore Complete Checklist Birds World, 4th edition, 1: 158.

Throughout the Old World, including New Guinea, Australia (including Tasmania), and New Zealand. Migratory in the Palaearctic. The Australian subspecies (P. p. palustris) has been recorded from Macquarie Island (Marchant & Higgins 1993).

Zapornia pusilla affinis (G.R. Gray)
Marsh Crake | Kotoreke

Ortygometra affinis G.R. Gray, 1845: Zool. Voy. ‘Erebus’ & ‘Terror’, Birds 1(8): 14 – Wanganui River (=Whanganui River).

Porzana affinis (G.R. Gray); Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 63.

Porzana pusilla affinis (G.R. Gray); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 215.

Zapornia pusilla affinis (G.R. Gray); Dickinson & Remsen 2013, Howard & Moore Complete Checklist Birds World, 4th edition, 1: 158.

North and South Islands. Widespread scattered records (Elliott 1989; Marchant & Higgins 1993). Vagrant to Chatham Islands (Miskelly et al. 2006; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2021). Very rare in Holocene deposits or in middens (Checklist Committee 1990).

➤ Zapornia tabuensis (Gmelin)
Spotless Crake | Pūweto

Philippines, Moluccas, New Guinea, Melanesia, Australia (including Tasmania), and south-west Polynesia including New Zealand. Australian and New Zealand birds, previously separated as Porzana tabuensis plumbea (J.E. Gray), were synonymised with the nominate subspecies by Marchant & Higgins (1993: 566); see also Onley (1982b).

Zapornia tabuensis tabuensis (Gmelin)
Spotless Crake | Pūweto

Rallus tabuensis Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 717 – Tongatapu, Tahiti, and other islands of French Polynesia.

Crex plumbea J.E. Gray, 1829: in E. Griffith, Anim. Kingdom 8 (Aves, 3): 410 – New Zealand (fide Mathews 1911, Birds Australia 1: 217).

Gallinula immaculata Swainson, 1838: Anim. Menager.: 337 – Tasmania, Australia.

Ortygometra tabuensis (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1845, in Richardson & J.E. Gray (Eds), Zool. Voy. ‘Erebus’ & ‘Terror’, Birds 1(8): 14.

Rallus rufopes Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – New Zealand.

Rallus minor Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – New Zealand.

Porzana tabuensis (Gmelin); Hutton 1904, Index Faunae N.Z.: 31.

Porzana plumbea (J.E. Gray); Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 63.

Porzana plumbea roberti Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 446 – Western Australia.

Porzanoidea plumbea plumbea (J.E. Gray); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 215.

Porzanoidea plumbea campbelli Mathews, 1914: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 85 – Botany Swamps, New South Wales, Australia.

Porzana tabuensis plumbea (J.E. Gray); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 40.

Porzana tabuensis tabuensis (Gmelin); Marchant & Higgins 1993, HANZAB 2: 559.

Zapornia tabuensis tabuensis (Gmelin); Dickinson & Remsen 2013, Howard & Moore Complete Checklist Birds World, 4th edition, 1: 159.

Luzon, New Guinea, Australia, south-west Pacific islands, Norfolk Island, New Zealand. In New Zealand, widespread, including Kermadec / Rangitāhua, Manawatāwhi / Three Kings, and Poor Knights (Onley 1982a). Vagrant to Chatham and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Miskelly et al. 2006; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Known from a very few Holocene deposits and middens on the mainland and Chathams (Checklist Committee 1990).

Subfamily RALLINAE Rafinesque: Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

Rallia Rafinesque, 1815: Analyse de la Nature: 70 – Type genus Rallus Linnaeus, 1758.

We follow Dickinson & Remsen (2013), Garcia-R et al. (2020), and Kirchman et al. (2021) in separating Hypotaenidia from Gallirallus, with New Zealand species H. dieffenbachii, and H. philippensis. However, we retain Cabalus as a monotypic genus (contra Garcia-R et al. 2014, 2017; Garcia-R & Matzke 2021, and Kirchman et al. 2021) pending further genetic information.

Genus Crex Bechstein

Crex Bechstein, 1803: Ornith. Taschenb. Deutschland 2: 336 – Type species (by monotypy and tautonymy) Crex pratensis Bechstein = Crex crex (Linnaeus).

➤ Crex crex (Linnaeus)
Corncrake

Rallus crex Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 153 – Europe, restricted to Sweden (fide Peters 1934, Check-list Birds World 2: 181).

Rallus featherstonii Buller, 1865: Essay N.Z. Ornith.: 18 – Nelson.

Rallus Featherstoni Buller; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 75. Unjustified emendation.

Hypotaenidia Featherstonii (Buller); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 57.

Ortygometra crex (Linnaeus); Hutton 1871, Cat. Birds N.Z.: 33.

Rallus Featherstonii Buller; Hutton 1871, Cat. Birds N.Z.: 33, 77.

Crex crex (Linnaeus); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 214.

A specimen (from Nelson) in the Colonial Museum (now Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa) was referred to this species by F. Hutton (1871). Formerly placed on the Suspense List by Checklist Committee (1970, 1990). However, Marchant & Higgins (1993: 537) noted two records of vagrants in Australia, including one from New South Wales, lending credibility to the New Zealand record.

Genus Lewinia G.R. Gray

Lewinia G.R. Gray, 1855: Cat. Genera Subgen. Birds Brit. Mus.: 120 – Type species (by monotypy) Rallus lewinii Swainson = Lewinia pectoralis (Temminck).

Donacias Heine & Reichenow, 1890: Nom. Mus. Hein. Ornith.: 321. Unnecessary nomen novum for Lewinia G.R. Gray, 1855.

Hyporallus Iredale & Mathews, 1926: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 46: 76 – Type species (by original designation) Rallus muelleri Rothschild = Lewinia muelleri (Rothschild).

An adult Lewin’s rail (Lewinia pectoralis) supposedly from the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka is held by the American Museum of Natural History (Oliver 1955: 351). Its identity and provenance is discussed by Mathews & Iredale (1913), Greenway (1958), Falla (1967), Elliott et al. (1991), and Miskelly & Taylor (2020), with most authors concluding that it was unlikely that the specimen was from the Auckland Islands or New Zealand.

➤ Lewinia muelleri (Rothschild)
Auckland Island Rail

Rallus brachipus; Travers 1883, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 15: 187. Not Rallus brachipus Swainson, 1838.

Rallus muelleri Rothschild, 1893: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1(8): 40 – Auckland Island.

Hypotaenidia muelleri (Rothschild); Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 42.

Rallus pectoralis muelleri Rothschild; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 39.

Lewinia muelleri (Rothschild); Sibley & Monroe 1990, Distr. and Taxon. Birds of the World: 225.

Dryolimnas pectoralis muelleri (Rothschild); Marchant & Higgins 1993, HANZAB 2: 529.

Dryolimnas muelleri (Rothschild); Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 132, 178.

Auckland Islands / Maukahuka, surviving on Adams and Disappointment Islands (Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020; Elliott et al. 2020; K. Walker et al. 2020). Bones have been found in sand dunes on Enderby Island (Tennyson 2020a). The type specimen is presumed to have been destroyed during World War II (Falla 1967). Previously listed as Rallus pectoralis muelleri (e.g. Checklist Committee 1990) or Dryolimnas pectoralis muelleri (e.g. Marchant & Higgins 1993); we follow Sibley & Monroe (1990) and B. Taylor & van Perlo (1998) in placing this taxon in Lewinia.

Genus †Diaphorapteryx Forbes

Diaphorapteryx Forbes, 1892 (31 Dec.): Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1(4): 21 – Type species (by monotypy) Aphanapteryx hawkinsi Forbes = Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi (Forbes).

➤ †Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi (Forbes)
Hawkins’ Rail | Mehonui

Aphanapteryx Hawkinsi Forbes, 1892 (3 Mar.): Nature 45: 416 – Chatham Islands.

Aphanapteryx hawkinsi Forbes; Forbes 1892 (21 Apr.): Nature 45: 580.

Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi (Forbes); Forbes 1892 (31 Dec.), Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1(4): 21.

Diaphorapteryx hawkingi [sic] (Forbes); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 121. Misspelling.

Chatham Group. Extinct prehistorically, but common in Holocene dune deposits and middens on Chatham and Pitt Islands (Tennyson 2004).

Genus Gallirallus Lafresnaye

Ocydromus Wagler, 1830: Natur. Syst. Amphib. Säug. Vögel.: 98 – Type species Ocydromus australis = Gallirallus australis (Sparrman). Junior homonym of Ocydromus Schellenberg, 1806.

Gallirallus Lafresnaye, 1841: Revue Zool. 1841: 243 – Type species (by monotypy) Gallirallus brachypterus Lafresnaye = Gallirallus australis (Sparrman).

Brachypteryx Owen, 1848: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1848 (16): 2, 7 – Type species Rallus australis Sparrman = Gallirallus australis (Sparrman). Junior homonym of Brachypteryx Horsfield, 1821.

➤ Gallirallus australis (Sparrman)
Weka

Rallus australis Sparrman, 1786: Mus. Carlsonianum 1: no XIV, pl. 14 – Dusky Sound, Fiordland.

Ocydromus insignis Forbes, 1892: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 24: 188 – New Zealand, restricted to Enfield Swamp, Otago (fide Worthy 1998, Journ. Royal Soc. N.Z. 28: 461).

Ocydromus minor Hamilton, 1893: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 25: 103, 106 – Castle Rocks, Southland.

New Zealand. Formerly widespread on North and South Islands, and Stewart Island / Rakiura and many inshore islands (Beauchamp et al. 1999). Abundant in Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits and middens on North, South, and Stewart Islands, but the bones cannot be determined to subspecies. Subspecies said to differ mainly in plumage (Beauchamp et al. 1999). South Island birds very variable in size and plumage, with light to dark morphs exhibiting clinal variation with environment (e.g. rainfall gradients) (Buller 1878b; Marchant & Higgins 1993: 519). Introduced to Chatham and Pitt Islands (G. a. hectori) where still common; Macquarie Island (G. a. scotti) where now extirpated; and many inshore islands (various subspecies) about New Zealand (Marchant & Higgins 1993: 507). The variation observed in existing and former weka populations, led to numerous names for taxa, generally based on plumage differences, producing a complex nomenclatural history, e.g. F. Hutton (1871, 1874); Buller (1878b). Two taxa based on Holocene remains were synonymised with Gallirallus australis (Sparrman): Gallirallus minor Hamilton, by Holdaway & Worthy (1997: 93) as advocated by Olson (1975), and Ocydromus insignis Forbes, by Worthy (1998a: 461). Ellman (1861) provided the following new names for rails which probably relate to various colour morphs of Gallirallus australis but for which there is insufficient data to refer them to any particular subspecies:
Rallus punctatus Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – Nomen dubium.
Rallus niger Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – Nomen dubium.
Rallus rufus Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – Nomen dubium.
Rallus fuscus Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7471 – Nomen dubium.
Rallus strepitans Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7471 – Nomen dubium.

Gallirallus australis greyi (Buller)
North Island Weka

Ocydromus Earli; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 75. Not Ocydromus earli G.R. Gray, 1862.

Ocydromus earli; Travers 1883, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 15: 187. Not Ocydromus earli G.R. Gray, 1862.

Ocydromus greyi Buller, 1888 (Nov.): History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 10): 105, pl. 34 – North Island.

Gallirallus australis greyi (Buller); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 212.

North Island. Formerly throughout, but now nearly extinct on the mainland where confined mainly to the eastern Bay of Plenty. Decline reviewed by Beauchamp et al. (2000). Successfully introduced to Kapiti, Mokoia (Lake Rotorua), Pakatoa and Kawau Islands. The current Kawau birds derive from an introduction in the 1970s from the Gisborne area (N. Wilson 1980) and have pure North Island genes (Lambert 1999). Oliver (1955: 362) records that both North Island and Stewart Island weka were transferred to Kapiti Island, so this population may be a mix of more than one subspecies.

Gallirallus australis australis (Sparrman)
Western Weka

Rallus australis Sparrman, 1786: Mus. Carlsonianum 1: no XIV, pl. 14 – Dusky Sound, Fiordland.

Rallus troglodytes Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 713 – New Zealand, restricted to Dusky Sound, Fiordland (fide Peters 1934, Check-list Birds World 2: 178).

Gallirallus brachypterus Lafresnaye, 1841: Rev. de Zool., Paris 1841: 243 – Dusky Sound, Fiordland.

Gallirallus fuscus du Bus de Gisignies, 1847: Esquisses Ornith. Livr. 3, pl. 2 – Dusky Sound, Fiordland.

Ocydromus earli G.R. Gray, 1862: Ibis 4: 238 – New Zealand.

Ocydromus nigricans Buller, 1869: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 1(22): 111; (2nd edition: 56) – south-west coast of the South Island.

Ocydromus australis Sparrman [sic]; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 75.

Ocydromus brachypterus Lafresnaye [sic]; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 75.

Ocydromus fuscus Dubus [sic]; Hutton 1871, Cat. Birds N.Z.: 32.

Ocydromus finschi Hutton, 1873: Journ. für Ornith. 21(124): 400. English translation in Hutton 1874, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 6: 111 – south Otago, east of Southern Alps.

Ocydromus earli Finsch, 1873: Journ. für Ornith. 21(124): 404 – New Zealand. Junior primary homonym of Ocydromus earli G.R. Gray, 1862.

Ocydromus australis (Sparrman); Travers 1883, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 15: 187.

Ocydromus brachypterus (Lafresnaye); Travers 1883, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 15: 187.

Ocydromus assimilis Buller, 1888: Classified List Silver’s Collection N.Z. Birds: 44 – southernmost part of South Island.

Gallirallus australis australis (Sparrman); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 212.

Gallirallus townsoni Mathews & Iredale, 1914: Ibis 2 (10th series): 295, pl. 11 – Westport, Westland.

Gallirallus troglodytes (Gmelin); Peters 1934, Check-list Birds World 2: 178.

South Island. Formerly widespread in northern Marlborough, Nelson, and down the West Coast to Fiordland. Now much reduced in range and declining. Introduced to D’Urville and Chetwode Islands, but eradicated from latter. This subspecies has both dark and light morphs in Fiordland. Ocydromus nigricans was synonymised with O. fuscus by F. Hutton (1871), and O. finschi with O. fuscus by Buller (1878b). Sharpe (1893: 27) found O. brachypterus to be identical to O. fuscus (see Buller 1895: 119). Ocydromus earli G.R. Gray was assumed to refer to the North Island population by most workers in the 19th Century, with the exception of Finsch (e.g. 1869, 1875b), but the issue was finally settled by Buller (1891: 39) who reported a similar bird to Gray’s type from Marlborough.

Gallirallus australis hectori (Hutton)
Buff Weka

Ocydromus hectori Hutton, 1873: Journ. für Ornith. 21(124): 399. English translation in Hutton 1874, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 6: 110 – “near the Te Anau Lake, in Otago”, error for Eglinton Flats, Otago (fide Tennyson & Bartle 2008, Tuhinga 19: 196).

Gallirallus hectori (Hutton); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 213.

Gallirallus hectori reischeki Iredale, 1913: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 15 – Canterbury.

Gallirallus australis hectori (Hutton); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 40.

South Island. Formerly widespread in eastern low-rainfall areas from Marlborough to Southland. Apparently died out on the mainland, but remains abundant on Chatham Islands (Chatham and Pitt) where introduced in 1905. Introduced to Kawau Island from Central Otago by Sir George Grey in 1863 (Buller 1878b: 215), but population died out by the 1920s. Attempted reintroductions to Arthur’s Pass (1962), the Mackenzie Basin (1970s), Banks Peninsula (1980s), and Ashburton (1990s) were unsuccessful. Introduced to islands in Lakes Wanaka and Wakatipu 2005–08 (Miskelly & Powlesland 2013).

Gallirallus australis scotti (Ogilvie-Grant)
Stewart Island Weka

Ocydromus scotti Ogilvie-Grant, 1905: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 15: 78 – Port Pegasus, Stewart Island.

Gallirallus australis scotti (Ogilvie-Grant); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 212.

Distinguished by slightly smaller size from G. a. australis with no consistent plumage differences (Marchant & Higgins 1993), so status in need of revision. Stewart Island / Rakiura and surrounding islets. Died out on the main island (G. Harper 2009); unsuccessfully reintroduced near Halfmoon Bay in 2005 (Miskelly & Powlesland 2013). Introduced to numerous outlying islands including Solander Island (Hautere) and Codfish Island / Whenua Hou, – but removed from Codfish Island by 1987. Also introduced successfully to Kapiti Island (c. 1895) and Macquarie Island (1872 and later, but now extirpated).

Genus Hypotaenidia Reichenbach

Hypotaenidia Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat. 2(1): 23 – Type species (by original designation) Rallus pectoralis Gould = Gallirallus philippensis mellori (Mathews), not Rallus pectoralis Temminck.

Nesolimnas Andrews, 1896: Novit. Zool. 3: 260, 266 – Type species (by monotypy) Rallus dieffenbachii G.R. Gray = Gallirallus dieffenbachii (G.R. Gray).

➤ Hypotaenidia philippensis (Linnaeus)
Banded Rail

Rallus philippensis Linnaeus, 1766: Syst. Nat., 12th edition 1: 263 – Philippines.

Rallus pectoralis Gould, 1848: Birds of Australia 6: pl. 76 – New South Wales, Australia. Junior primary homonym of Rallus pectoralis Temminck, 1831.

Hypotaenidia australis Von Pelzeln, 1873: Ibis 3 (3rd series): 42. Nomen novum for Rallus pectoralis Gould, 1848. Junior secondary homonyn of Rallus australis Sparrman.

Rallus philippensis; Travers 1883, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 15: 187. Not Rallus philippensis Linnaeus, 1766.

Indonesia, Philippines, Melanesia, Australia (including Tasmania), western Polynesia, New Zealand, and Macquarie Island. The regional variation in this, one of the most polytypic rails with a high dispersal capability, was reviewed by Schodde & de Naurois (1982). The Australian subspecies (G. p. mellori) has been recorded from Norfolk Island (Marchant & Higgins 1993), and an endemic subspecies on Macquarie Island (G. p. macquariensis) became extinct between 1880 and 1894 (Oliver 1955).

Hypotaenidia philippensis assimilis (G.R. Gray)
Banded Rail | Moho Pererū

Rallus assimilis G.R. Gray, 1843: in E. Dieffenbach, Travels in N.Z. 2: 197 – New Zealand.

Rallus assimilis Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – New Zealand. Junior primary homonym of Rallus assimilis G.R. Gray, 1843.

Rallus pectoralis Lesson; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 74. Not Rallus pectoralis Gould, 1848.

Rallus pictus Potts, 1872: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 4: 202 – Okarito, south Westland.

Rallus philippensis; Travers 1883, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 15: 187. Not Rallus philippensis Linnaeus, 1766.

Hypotaenidia philippensis; Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 43. Not Rallus philippensis Linnaeus, 1766.

Eulabeornis philippensis assimilis (G.R. Gray); Mathews 1911, Birds Australia 1: 196.

Hypotaenidia philippensis assimilis (G.R. Gray); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 211.

Hypotaenidia assimilis (G.R. Gray); Mathews 1930, Emu 29: 279.

Rallus philippensis assimilis G.R. Gray; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 38.

Gallirallus philippensis assimilis (G.R. Gray); Marchant & Higgins 1993, HANZAB 2: 495.

Main islands of New Zealand, formerly common throughout. North Island: Northland (including Manawatāwhi / Three Kings, Poor Knights, Hauturu / Little Barrier, and Great Barrier / Aotea Islands), Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, and Bay of Plenty; rare south of 39°S (Marchant & Higgins 1993: 497). South Island: coastal north-west Nelson, Golden Bay and Pelorus Sound; rare elsewhere (Elliott 1989). Islands south-west of Stewart Island / Rakiura. Rare in Late Pleistocene or Holocene deposits and middens.

➤ †Hypotaenidia dieffenbachii (G.R. Gray)
Dieffenbach’s Rail | Moeriki

Rallus Dieffenbachii G.R. Gray, 1843: in E. Dieffenbach, Travels in N.Z. 2: 197 – Chatham Islands.

Ocydromus Dieffenbachii (G.R. Gray); G.R. Gray 1845, in Richardson & J.E. Gray (Eds), Zool. Voy. ‘Erebus’ & ‘Terror’, Birds 1(8): 14, pl. 15.

Hypotaenidia dieffenbachi (G.R. Gray); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 43: 599. Unjustified emendation.

Hypotaenidia dieffenbachii (G.R. Gray); G.R. Gray 1862, Ibis 4: 238.

Rallus Dieffenbachi G.R. Gray; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 75. Unjustified emendation.

Rallus dieffenbachii G.R. Gray; Buller 1872 (Dec.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 1st edition (part 3): 179. In part.

Cabalus dieffenbachii (G.R. Gray); Sharpe 1875, Zool. Voy. ‘Erebus’ & ‘Terror’, Birds – 1 (Appendix): 29, pl. 15. In part.

Nesolimnas dieffenbachii (G.R. Gray); Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 44.

Rallus philippensis dieffenbachii G.R. Gray; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 119.

Gallirallus dieffenbachii (G.R. Gray); Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 132, 178.

Extinct. Known historically from a single skin collected on Chatham Island in 1840, but its bones are common in Holocene deposits and middens on Chatham, Pitt, and Mangere Islands (Tennyson & Millener 1994). Here we follow Olson (1975), Marchant & Higgins (1993), Trewick (1997a,b), Holdaway et al. (2001), and Worthy & Holdaway (2002) in recognising this taxon as a separate species on account of distinctive morphology and genotype.

Genus †Cabalus Hutton

Cabalus Hutton, 1874: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 6: 108 – Type species (by monotypy) Rallus modestus Hutton = Cabalus modestus (Hutton).

Huttonena Mathews, 1929: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 50: 19. Unnecessary nomen novum for Cabalus Hutton 1874.

➤ †Cabalus modestus (Hutton)
Chatham Island Rail | Mātirakahu

Rallus modestus Hutton, 1872: Ibis 2 (3rd series): 247 – Mangere Island, Chatham Islands.

Rallus dieffenbachii G.R. Gray; Buller 1872 (Dec.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 1st edition (part 3): 179. In part.

Cabalus dieffenbachii (G.R. Gray); Sharpe 1875, Zool. Voy. ‘Erebus’ & ‘Terror’, Birds – 1 (Appendix): 29. In part.

Cabalus modestus (Hutton); Buller 1888 (Nov.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 10): 123.

Ocydromus pygmaeus Forbes, 1892: Nature 46: 252 – Chatham Islands.

Rallus modestus Hutton; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 119.

Gallirallus modestus (Hutton); Trewick 1997, Journ. Royal Soc. N.Z. 27: 452.

Cabalus modestus (Hutton); Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 132, 178.

Hypotaenidia modesta (Hutton); Kirchman, McInerney, Giarla, Olson, Slikas & Fleischer 2021, American Ornithology 138: 17.

Chatham, Mangere, and Pitt Islands, Chatham Group. Extinct since 1893 (Tennyson & Martinson 2007). Common in Holocene deposits and some middens. Variously placed in Rallus or Gallirallus after Olson (1973), e.g. Marchant & Higgins (1993: 527). Preliminary mtDNA analyses by Trewick (1997b) suggest a close relationship to Gallirallus dieffenbachii, but here it is kept separate in its own genus on account of its very divergent morphology (Livezey 1998).

Genus †Capellirallus Falla

Capellirallus Falla, 1954: Rec. Auck. Inst. Museum 4: 242 – Type species (by original designation) Capellirallus karamu Falla.

➤ †Capellirallus karamu Falla
Snipe-rail

Capellirallus karamu Falla, 1954: Rec. Auck. lnst. Museum 4: 242, pls 40–42 – Karamu Cave, near Hamilton.

North Island, New Zealand. Extinct prehistorically: known from numerous Late Pleistocene and Holocene sites, including caves, dunes, swamps, and middens. Very distinctive; crake-sized with perhaps the longest bill and smallest wings (relative to body size) of any rail.

Family GRUIDAE Vigors: Cranes

Subfamily GRUINAE Vigors: Cranes

Gruidae Vigors, 1825: Trans. Linn. Soc. London 14: 488 – Type genus Grus Pallas, 1766.

Genus Grus Brisson

Grus Brisson, 1760: Ornithologie 5: 375 – Type species (by tautonymy) Ardea grus Linnaeus = Grus grus (Linnaeus).

Grus Pallas, 1766: Miscell. Zool.: 66 – Type species (by tautonymy) Ardea grus Linnaeus = Grus grus (Linnaeus). Junior homonyn of Grus Brisson.

Grus sp. indet.
(crane)

Grus is represented in Australia by two similar species, the brolga Grus rubicundus (Perry, 1810) and the sarus crane G. antigone (Linnaeus, 1758). There are four records of Grus from New Zealand: one from Clevedon in 1947 (McKenzie & Cunningham 1952), one at Punakaiki in 1968 (Westerskov 1968), one at Mossburn, Southland in Mar. 2009, and one at Te Anau Downs in Feb. 2012 (Miskelly et al. 2013). None of the records contained sufficient information to differentiate the two Australian species (contra Checklist Committee 1990: 127, where the first two records were attributed to Grus rubicundus).