This bird is small with brown upperpart feathers, grey underparts, a yellow bill and red legs.

[2] Sakalava rail measures 19 cm with grey underparts, a yellow bill and red eyes.

[3] Although 34 microsatellite loci which are polymorphic molecular markers were produced for this species, additional research is needed to confirm sexual dimorphism using DNA or voice analysis.

[3][4] Sakalava rail lives in marshes of open water and dense reedbeds of Phragmites mauritianus.

They walk slowly over floating vegetation and turn ferns with their bills to catch prey when feeding.

[5] Some active nests and young Sakalava rails have been observed during the wet season in February and March.

[2] Both sexes participate in parental care activities during the breeding season: from building the nest, incubating the eggs, and feeding the chicks.

[2] More than half of Sakalava rail's diet is composed of spiders, while the remaining portion is made up of insects, crustaceans and molluscs found under floating vegetation.

[5] Sakalava rail is classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List due to the degradation of wetlands in Madagascar.

[1][2] Also, human disturbance degrades the habitat of Sakalava rails when local populations burn and collect Phragmites reeds.

[7] Conservation actions such as creating protected areas are underway to preserve these ecosystems and their rare bird species.