While some early researchers thought the bird to be flightless, Brown's account states it could fly, and it is thought to have been a reluctant flier. Hume suggested it may have fed on plant matter and invertebrates, as other swamphens do.
Early researchers thought the bird was flightless, but Brown's account suggests it could fly, and it seems to have been a hesitant flier. Hume proposed that it may have eaten plants and insects like other swamphens.