NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
New Caledonia Gallinule
Porphyrio kukwiedei Balouet & Olson, 1989
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The New Caledonian gallinule (Porphyrio kukwiedei) is an extinct species of bird in the family Rallidae. It was endemic to New Caledonia and probably became extinct due to hunting, habitat loss and the presence of invasive species following human settlement of the island. However a passage from an 1860 article refers to birds the size of turkeys being present in marshy areas of New Caledonia, suggesting that it may have survived into historic times. The native name n'dino is thought to refer to this bird.
It was described from subfossil bones found at the Pindai Caves paleontological site on the west coast of Grande Terre. The specific epithet derives from Kukwiede, the name of a local deity associated with a legend leading to the discovery of a bone of the gallinule on the Isle of Pines.
Wikipedia contributors, New Caledonian gallinule; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:19:51.195877+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Porphyrio kukwiedei Balouet & Olson, 1989
- Name authority
- Balouet & Olson, 1989
- Common name
- New Caledonia Gallinule
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Porphyrio
- Extinction status
- Recorded extinct
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderGruiformes
- familyRallidae
- genusPorphyrio Brisson, 1760
- speciesPorphyrio kukwiedei Balouet & Olson, 1989
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Porphyrio. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Azure GallinulePorphyrio flavirostris (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| South Island TakahePorphyrio hochstetteri (A. B. Meyer, 1883) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-backed SwamphenPorphyrio indicus Horsfield, 1821 | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Australasian SwamphenPorphyrio melanotus Temminck, 1820 | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grey-headed SwamphenPorphyrio poliocephalus (Latham, 1801) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White SwamphenPorphyrio albus (Shaw, 1790) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Allen's GallinulePorphyrio alleni Thomson, 1842 | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| North Island TakahePorphyrio mantelli (Owen, 1848) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica (Linnaeus, 1766) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1244266 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:CPCMJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.