Belongs within: Fulicini.
Porzana has historically been recognised as one of the primary genera of crakes, short-billed rails without significant aquatic adaptations (Livezey 1998). However, recent phylogenetic analyses indicate that the genus as previously recognised is polyphyletic with only a small number of species directly related to the type species, the spotted crake P. porzana. These species share gray underparts, an olive and black dorsum streaked with white, and buffy juvenile plumage (Garcia-R et al. 2014). The spotted crake breeds in western Eurasia and migrates to Africa and India.
<==Porzana Vieillot 1816G-RGT14
| i. s.: P. astrictocarpus Olson 1973L98
| P. estramosi Jánossy 1979 [incl. P. estramosi veterior Jánossy 1979]M02
| P. keplororum Olson & James 1991L98
| P. menehune Olson & James 1991L98
| P. ralphorum Olson & James 1991L98
| P. rua Steadman 1986L98
| P. rubiginosaS42
| P. severnsi Olson & James 1991L98
| P. ziegleri Olson & James 1991L98
|--P. carolina (Linnaeus 1758)G-RGT14 [=Rallus carolinusG-RGT14, Ortygometra carolinaS05]
`--+--*P. porzana (Linnaeus 1766)G-RGT14 [=Rallus porzanaG-RGT14, Ortygometra porzanaS05]
`--P. fluminea Gould 1842G-RGT14 [=Ortygometra flumineaCC10]
Hypothetical taxon: Porzana nigraF02
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.
[F02] Fuller, E. 2002. Foreword. Extinct birds. In: Hoyo, J. del, A. Elliott & J. Sargatal (eds) Handbook of the Birds of the World vol. 7. Jacamars to Woodpeckers pp. 11–68. Lynx Edicions: Barcelona.
[G-RGT14] Garcia-R, J. C., G. C. Gibb & S. A. Trewick. 2014. Deep global evolutionary radiation in birds: diversification and trait evolution in the cosmopolitan bird family Rallidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 81: 96–108.
[L98] Livezey, B. C. 1998. A phylogenetic analysis of the Gruiformes (Aves) based on morphological characters, with an emphasis on the rails (Rallidae). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B—Biological Sciences 353: 2077–2151.
[M02] Mlíkovský, J. 2002. Cenozoic Birds of the World. Part 1: Europe. Ninox Press: Praha.
[S05] Schalow, H. 1905. Die Vögel der Arktis. In: Römer, F., & F. Schaudinn (eds) Fauna Arctica. Eine Zusammenstellun der arktischen Tierformen, mit besonder Berücksichtigung des Spitzbergen-Gebietes auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Deutschen Expedition in das Nördliche Eismeer im Jahre 1898 vol. 4 pp. 79–288. Gustav Fischer: Jena.
[S42] Strickland, H. E. 1842. Account of the birds in the Chinese collection exhibited at Hyde Park Corner. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 10: 166–168.