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.
Region
Eastern Polynesia
Typical Environment
It inhabited lowland wetlands, marshy valley bottoms, stream margins, and dense reed or sedge beds on volcanic islands. Given the scarcity of extensive natural wetlands in the Marquesas, it likely used small freshwater seeps, riparian thickets, and human-modified wet plots such as taro patches. Swamphens often forage along the edges of vegetation, pulling stems and probing soft soil. On small islands they commonly move between moist inland valleys and coastal flats depending on water availability.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Marquesas swamphen is known from subfossil remains on Hiva Oa and Tahuata in the Marquesas Islands and is considered extinct. It may have persisted into the late 19th or even early 20th century, with possible depictions in a 1902 Gauguin painting and a 1937 sighting claim by Thor Heyerdahl. Like other Pacific island swamphens, it likely became flight-reduced and vulnerable to hunting and introduced predators.
Temperament
wary and mostly terrestrial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; weak flier, often prefers to run
Social Behavior
Likely lived in pairs or small family groups defending dense wetland patches. Nests would have been built in thick vegetation close to water, with both parents tending eggs and chicks. As with other swamphens, cooperative care by older offspring may have occurred.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls probably consisted of loud grunts, cackles, and squawks, given in bursts from cover. Alarm notes were likely harsh and repeated, with softer clucks during foraging.
