Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...

North Island takahē
Fossil cranial remains of P. mantelli (7-13) compared to those of a smaller, extant member of Porphyrio
Conservation status
Extinct (1894)  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Extinct (1894) (NZ TCS)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Gruiformes
Family:	Rallidae
Genus:	Porphyrio
Species:	†P. mantelli
Binomial name
†Porphyrio mantelli (Owen, 1848)
Locations where fossils have been found

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The North Island takahē (Māori: moho)^[3] (Porphyrio mantelli) is an extinct species of flightless swamphen that was native to the North Island of New Zealand. It is closely related to the living South Island takahē.

This flightless species is known from subfossils from a number of sites across North Island. The North Island takahē compared to the South island species was proportionally larger, but had a smaller premaxilla (and thus beak) relative to body size. Other differences from the South island species include the more elongate tarsometatarsus bones of the legs relative to the tibiotarsus.^[4]

Traditionally the North Island takahē was considered conspecific with the endangered South Island takahē. Trewick (1996) suggested that the two taxa were independently derived from two separate colonisations by flying ancestors, so proved to be separate species.^[4] However, this was challenged by the result of subsequent DNA analysis, which suggested that the two takahē species were each other's closest relatives and as such probably originated from a single colonisation of New Zealand, but were divergent enough from each other to warrant being considered distinct species, with the split estimated to have occurred 4 to 1.5 million years ago.^[5]

The binomial of this bird commemorates the naturalist and civil servant Walter Mantell.

The North Island takahē became extinct sometime after Māori settlement of New Zealand around 1320 AD. Some reports have suggested that the species may have persisted until the 19th century, but this is unconfirmed.^[5]