The Tahiti rail was found on the South Pacific island of Tahiti (part of the Society Islands archipelago) by naturalists who were part of the British explorer James Cook's second voyage around the world (1772-1775).
Along with the buff-banded rail and close relatives, the Tahiti rail has been placed in either the genus Gallirallus or the genus Hypotaenidia; the latter is considered a synonym of the former by some authorities [REF].