 Since the 1763 report is very unspecific and could as well refer to petrels or shearwaters, it is generally assumed that the Réunion swamphen was extinct by 1730.As the area where it occurred was not yet being cleared for cultivation, introduced predators and hunting by escaped slaves who took to the mountains are probably the reasons for its disappearance.The Réunion swamphen may have disappeared by the end of the 17th century, due to overhunting and the introduction of rats in 1676, which may have preyed on their eggs and chicks.