NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Sakalava Rail
Zapornia olivieri (G. Grandidier & Berlioz, 1929)
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 Sakalava rail (Zapornia olivieri) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is endemic to western Madagascar. This bird is small with brown upperpart feathers, grey underparts, a yellow bill and red legs.
The habitat of this rail species is freshwater marshes of reed Phragmites mauritianus. It is classified as Endangered and is threatened by habitat loss due to the destruction of wetlands in Madagascar.
Wikipedia contributors, Sakalava rail; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:30:40.072598+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Zapornia olivieri (G. Grandidier & Berlioz, 1929)
- Name authority
- (G. Grandidier & Berlioz, 1929)
- Common name
- Sakalava Rail
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Zapornia
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
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
- genusZapornia Leach, 1816
- speciesZapornia olivieri (G. Grandidier & Berlioz, 1929)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Zapornia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| St Helena RailZapornia astrictocarpus (Olson, 1973) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Black-tailed CrakeZapornia bicolor (Walden, 1872) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black CrakeZapornia flavirostra (Swainson, 1837) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kosrae CrakeZapornia monasa (Kittlitz, 1858) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Laysan RailZapornia palmeri (Frohawk, 1892) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Little CrakeZapornia parva (Scopoli, 1769) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Band-bellied CrakeZapornia paykullii (Ljungh, 1813) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Porzana olivieri G. Grandidier & Berlioz, 1929 G. Grandidier & Berlioz, 1929 | synonym |
| Amaurornis olivieri (G. Grandidier & Berlioz, 1929) (G. Grandidier & Berlioz, 1929) | synonym |
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=1244230 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:CPPDT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.