CreatureData

Weka

Gallirallus australis (Sparrman, 1786)

VUVulnerablebirds

The weka (Gallirallus australis) is a species in the family Rallidae, order Gruiformes. Recorded adults weigh 700.2 g to 1.05 kg and live up to 13.8 years. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Weka (Gallirallus australis)
Photo: Jörg Hempel · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the weka

Weight
700.2 g – 1.05 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
13.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
23.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2.8 – 2.89src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
11.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
1 countrysrc for Countries on record

Where does the weka live?

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

The weka is listed for 1 country.

Australia
  • Listed
  • Not listed
small islands are not drawn at this scale

The same countries as a list

  1. Australia

Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.

What is the weka?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen (Gallirallus australis) 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.

The weka are sturdy brown birds about the size of a chicken. As omnivores, they feed mainly on invertebrates and fruit. Weka usually lay eggs between August and January; both sexes help to incubate.

From the Wikipedia article “Weka” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Weka&oldid=1374578439), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the weka sound like?

Unknown author Unknown author · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the weka endangered?

The weka is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.

How is the weka classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderGruiformes
  5. familyRallidae
  6. genusGallirallus
  7. SpeciesGallirallus australis (Sparrman, 1786)

Synonyms Gallirallus australis insignis, Gallirallus brachypterus, Gallirallus troglodytes, Ocydromus insignis, Rallus australis, Rallus philippensis australis, Rallus troglodytes

Other names and names in other languages (32)
  • WekEnglish
  • WuduhenOld English
  • ويكاArabic
  • rascló wekaCatalan
  • chřástal wekaCzech
  • wecaWelsh
  • WekaralleGerman
  • Weka-RalleGerman
  • novzelanda raloEsperanto
  • Rascón wekaSpanish
  • VeekaEstonian
  • veeka (veekaruik)Estonian
  • وکاPersian
  • vekaluhtakanaFinnish
  • Râle wékaFrench
  • וקהHebrew
  • velika kokošicaCroatian
  • ニュージーランドクイナJapanese
  • 웨카Korean
  • wekarikseNorwegian
  • wekaPortuguese
  • frango-d'água-neozelandêsPortuguese
  • frango-d'água-wekaPortuguese
  • frango-de-água-neozelandêsPortuguese
  • УэкаRussian
  • Пастушок-уэкаRussian
  • chriašteľ vekaSlovak
  • VekaSerbian
  • wekarallSwedish
  • уекаUkrainian
  • 新西兰秧鸡Chinese
  • 紐西蘭秧雞Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the weka

Other species in the same genus Gallirallus.

Ua Huka rail

Gallirallus gracilitibia

RallidaeNo free photo yet

Huahine rail

Gallirallus storrsolsoni

RallidaeNo free photo yet

CompareWeka vs Astolfo's railWeka vs Nuku Hiva railWeka vs Tahuata railWeka vs Ua Huka rail

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the weka?

An adult weka weighs 700.2 g – 1.05 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Where does the weka live?

Catalogue of Life checklists list the weka for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.

Is the weka endangered?

The weka is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the weka live?

The weka has a recorded lifespan of 13.8 years.

What kind of animal is the weka?

The weka (Gallirallus australis) belongs to the family Rallidae in the order Gruiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Weka (Gallirallus australis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/weka

MLA

“Weka (Gallirallus australis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/weka.

BibTeX
@misc{weka_2026,
  title = {Weka (Gallirallus australis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/weka},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}