Gallinula mortierii
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Tasmanian nativehen (Tribonyx mortierii) (alternative spellings: Tasmanian native-hen or Tasmanian native hen), also known by its palawa kani name piyura, is a flightless rail and one of twelve species of birds endemic to Australia's island state of Tasmania. Although many flightless birds have a history of extinction at the hands of humans, the species has actually benefited from the introduction of European-style agricultural practices in Tasmania. Its success may also be attributed to the recent extinction of its main predator, the thylacine.
The species was originally described in 1840 as Tribonyx mortierii — the mortierii being in honour of Belgian botanist Barthélemy Charles Joseph Dumortier. The palawa kani name for the Tasmanian nativehen is piyura, from the Swanport/Oyster Bay language region. Local nicknames include narkie, waterhen and turbo chook, despite the species being in the Rallidae family and not being related to junglefowl or the domestic chicken.
The Tasmanian nativehen is a stocky flightless bird between 43 and 51 centimetres (17 and 20 in) in length. The upperparts are olive-brown with a white patch on the flank. The underparts... Wikipedia →
Recording0:11
Australia · 2023
© Anthony Kurek EntSocVic · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:16
Australia · 2024
© Hilda Jones · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:08
Australia · 2022
© cintajac · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hobart | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillip Island Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Trowunna Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Tasmanian Nativehen sighting in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park on a given day, based on 363 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 49 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Tasmanian Nativehen in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park on a given day, against about 40% in April, July and December–February, the lowest months. That is one of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park's wettest months, with about 240 mm of rain against 95 mm in February.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tasmanian Nativehen sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Tasmanian Nativehen sightings, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in Maria Island National Park (Australia, about 90%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tasmanian Nativehen is recorded against all the birds logged in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park (363 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
