The Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), formerly also known as the Purple Gallinule, is a large bird in the family Rallidae. It should not be confused with the American Purple Gallinule, Porphyrula martinica.
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| Species: | P. porphyrio
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| Porphyrio porphyrio | |
Physical description
There are six or more subspecies, depending on the authority, which differ in the plumage colours. The races are; P. p. porhyrio in Europe, P. p. madagascariensis in Africa, P. p. poliocephalus in tropical Asia, P. p. melanotus in much of Australasia, P. p. indicus in Indonesia and P. p. pulverulentis in the Philippines. European birds are overall purple-blue, African and south Asian birds have a green back, and Australasian and Indonesian birds have black backs and heads. The Philippines subspecies is pale blue with a brown back. This chicken-sized bird, with its huge feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is unmistakable in its native range.
Reproduction
Their breeding habitat is warm reedbeds across southernmost Europe, Africa, tropical Asia, and Australasia. Pairs nest in swamps, clumps of rushes in paddocks or long unkempt grass. Multiple females lay in the one nest and share the incubation duties, the nest is composed of grass or similar materials. Each bird can lay 3-6 speckled eggs and a communal nest may contain up to 12 eggs, incubation period is 24 days.
Ecology and behavior
Purple Swamphens are considered to be the ancestors of several island species including the extinct Lord Howe Swamphen and New Zealand's Takahe. In spite of being the ancestor of the Takahe no swamphens lived in New Zealand prior to the arrival of humans. The near extinction of the Takahe left the niche open and the Purple Swamphens colonised the islands for the second time.
Swamphens prefer wet areas with high rainfall, swamps, lake edges and damp pastures. The birds often live in pairs and larger communities. It clambers through the reeds, eating the tender shoots and vegetable-like matter, they have also been known to feed on invertebrates and to rob eggs from nests. Where they are not persecuted they can become tame and be readily seen in towns and cities.
This species has a very loud explosive call, also described as a "Raucous high-pitched screech, with a subdued muscial 'tuk-tuk'". In spite of being clumsy in flight is can fly long distances, it is also a good swimmer (Especially for a bird without webbed feet).
Note: the most common call from the Florida birds is a loud, high-pitched "creek," often doubled doubled.
North American introduction
The Purple Swamphen was introduced to North America in the late 1990s due to avicultural escapes in the Pompano Beach area. The birds rapidly multiplied and can now be found in many areas of southern Florida. Ornithological authorities consider it likely that the swamphen will become an established part of Florida's avifauna.
Error: the escapee site was Pembroke Pines, not Pompano Beach.
The Florida birds are mostly or entirely of the gray-headed race _poliocephalus_, native to the area around the Caspian Sea.
Multilingual names
References
- Perlo, Taylor and Van Rails, ISBN 90-74345-20-4
- Moon, Geoff (1994) The Reed field guide to New Zealand birds, ISBN 0-7900-0366-8
Pranty, Bill, Kim Schnitzius, Kevin Schnitzius, and Helen W. Lovell. 2000. Discovery, distribution, and origin of the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 28: 1–11.