This flightless rail is endemic to Halmahera Island in Indonesia. It is rarely seen, and information about its ecology is limited.
The adult described at the nest had a bluish-black head and neck, brownish-black back and wings, a very short tail, a thick red bill, red eye-ring, and red legs.
It lives in dense swampy areas, especially in sago swamps.
In a 2010 observation, a nest was on a rotten stump about 1 m above the ground in dry swamp forest dominated by palms. The chicks approached an adult as it arrived at the nest, and it gave a soft drumming call. The adult cautiously walked near the nest and used a palm frond as a bridge to reach it.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.