The Hawaiian subspecies of the Common Gallinule (Gallinula chloropus sandvicensis) is endangered (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1980). As recently as 1891, Munro (1960) found the species common on all the main Hawaiian Islands with wetlands, but by 1947 its status was precarious (Schwartz and Schwartz 1949). Currently the gallinule remains only on the islands of Oahu and Kauai (Shallenberger 1977). Loss of habitat, predation by introduced mammals and hunting (prior to closures in 1939) are listed as the major causes for the decline (Hawaiian Waterbirds Recovery Team 1977).