Purple Swamphen

Porphyrio porphyrio

Family: Rails, Gallinules, and Coots · Status: Former resident and very rare visitor · Size: 28–29 cm · Conservation: Least Concern

Range

Widespread from southern Europe to Africa, through the Indian subcontinent to southern China, Indochina, the Indonesian Archipelago, and Australia. Two subspecies occur locally and used to be considered different species: viridis ('Grey-headed Swamphen') is resident in the Thai-Malay Peninsula; indicus ('Black-backed Swamphen') is resident across the Indonesian archipelago and Philippines, and records in the Thai-Malay Peninsula are considered possible intergrades with ssp. viridis.

Identification

Adults are dark purple overall with a large red bill and frontal shield, long red legs, white undertail-coverts and blue to blackish-purple wings. Subspecies viridis has contrasting pale grey head and bluer, lighter wings than ssp. indicus, which has a black head and usually black wings. Juvenile resembles adult but has paler plumage and duller frontal shield.

Habitat

Freshwater wetlands with emergent and floating vegetation, including marshes and reed beds.