Gallinula mortierii
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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
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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 Freycinet National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tasmanian Nativehen sighting in Freycinet National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 66th most-seen of the 72 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tasmanian Nativehen in Freycinet National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and September–February, the lowest months.
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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Tasmanian Nativehen sightings, Freycinet National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Maria Island National Park (Australia, about 90%) and Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park (Australia, about 50%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tasmanian Nativehen is recorded against all the birds logged in Freycinet National Park (13 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.
