AnimalvsAnimal
0A2A9595 Weka🐦

Photo: JJ Harrison · CC BY-SA 4.0

SpeciesGruiformesRallidae
Birds

🐦Weka

Gallirallus australis (Sparrman, 1786)

The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. Some authorities consider it as the only extant member of the genus Gallirallus. Four subspecies are recognized but only two (northern/southern) are supported by genetic evidence.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Photos
2
Measurements
10
vs you
≈ 1/71st of your weight
Conservation status
VUVulnerable

IUCN Red List assessment, 2018.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
0.88 kg
Body length
not recorded
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
14 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Weka

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
0.88 kg
AVONET
Other figures ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Figures vary

  • 0.9 kgAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Tail length
0.12 m
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Wing length
0.17 m
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Beak length
0.05 m
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Tarsus length
0.06 m
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Maximum lifespan
14 years
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Trophic level
Omnivore
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Habitat
Forest
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Lifestyle
Terrestrial
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Volume l
0.9 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Weka yet: body length, shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classAves
  4. ›orderGruiformes
  5. ›familyRallidae
  6. ›genusGallirallus
  7. ›speciesGallirallus australis
Full lineage
  1. superclassSarcopterygii
  2. superclassTetrapoda
  3. orderSauria
  4. classBirds · Aves
All 9 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. orderSauria
  9. classBirds · Aves
More

More about the Weka

In other languages
Gallirallus australis (it), Weka (nl), weka (ca), chřástal weka (cs), Weka (da), Wekaralle (de) … and 23 more languages
More photos
0A2A9595 WekaGallirallus australis 2
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