White Swamphen

Porphyrio albus (Shaw, 1790)

Rallidae — Rails, Crakes & Coots

White Swamphen, Porphyrio albus, was a rail of Lord Howe Island in Australasia, within the family Rallidae. It bred on Lord Howe I. (Australia) and is now extinct. The bird was first recorded during visits by British ships in the late eighteenth century, and it is known from two preserved skins as well as subfossil bones. It was a distinct island form, most closely linked to the Australasian swamphen. Its known plumage was chiefly white, though some accounts describe blue and mixed birds, and the young changed from black to blue and then white.

Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae — Rails, Crakes & Coots
Breeding range: Australasia: Lord Howe I. (Australia)