About the Purple Swamphen
The western swamphen is a species of swamphen in the rail family Rallidae, one of the six species of purple swamphen. This chicken-sized bird, with its large feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is easily recognisable in its native range. It used to be considered the nominate subspecies of the purple swamphen, but is now recognised as a separate species. The western swamphen is found in wetlands in Spain, Portugal, southeastern France, Italy and northwestern Africa.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Purple Swamphen sounds like
Where the Purple Swamphen lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Mali, Palestinian Territories, Wallis & Futuna.
When to see the Purple Swamphen
Peak activity in January · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinicaThe purple gallinule is a medium-sized rail, measuring 26–37 cm (10–15 in) in length, spanning 50–61 cm (20–24 in) across the wings and weighing 141–305 g (5.0–10.8 oz).
South Island TakahePorphyrio hochstetteriThe South Island takahē is the largest living member of the family Rallidae.
Allen's GallinulePorphyrio alleniThey are similar in size to the only slightly larger water rail.
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