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Purple swamphen

Porphyrio porphyrio var. melanotus

Photo by lori.tas
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

This chicken-sized bird, with its huge feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is unmistakable in its native range

Habitat:

Goulds Lagoon, which is a waterbird reserve in the middle of suburban housing.

Notes:

The same sub-species as the New Zealand pukeko.

Reference Links:

Purple Swamphen

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (4)
Darwin26
i got a photo of one here in South Central Montana of a Sora ~ hard to get pix of them... i'll post later. it's also in the Rail family ~ Porzana carolina, kewl but illusive
SusanEllison
I spotted one too: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/6605328
lori.tas
It's amazing, Alice, how many different variations there are or purple swamp hens, and just how widely scattered they are. We had a similar Gallinule species develop here that is duller feathered and more widespread, and largely fills the island's land-bird niche. It's unimaginatively called the Tasmanian native hen: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/2739001
alicelongmartin
Much like ours in Florida, though ours may be a little smaller in size overall.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
WILD Cities: Urban Biodiversity
Photographed
PublishedJune 15, 2011

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