#porphyrio

[herpsandbirds]

American Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica), family Rallidae, order Gruiformes, SC, USA

photograph by Katrina Mizell Floyd

[tbalderdash-art-blog]

Migratory May Day 18: Purple Gallinule

Reference photo by Brad Dawson

[best-bird-tournament]

Swamphen (genus Porphyri, tribe Porphyrionini)

Which is the best bird?

Western swamphen

Philippine swamphen

African swamphen

Grey-headed swamphen

Black-backed swamphen

Australasian swamphen

Allen's gallinule

South Island takahe

Azure gallinule

American purple gallinule

Voting ended onSep 10, 2025

This genus is monotypic in its tribe!

[haveyouseenthisbirdpoll]

Have you seen an Australasian swamphen/pūkeko (Porphyrio melanotus)?

Yes, in nature

Yes, in captivity

No, only in pictures/taxidermy/I've only heard of it

No, and I have never heard of this bird

No, but I have heard one

I might have/I'm not sure

Voting ended onJun 3, 2024

photo source

[snototter]

A grey headed swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus) searches for food amongst the marshes in Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka

by Timo Hannukkala

[birdblues]

American Purple Gallinule

[thebeastsofindia]

Grey Headed Swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus), female, family Rallidae, order Gruiformes, Chandigarh, India

Formerly most swamphens were classified as a single widespread species inhabiting most of the world, the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), but it was split into six different species in 2015

Photo by Saswat Mishra

[drhoz]

#2744 - Porphyrio hochstetteri - South Island Takahē 

Quammen and Paku, the breeding pair at Orokonui Ecosanctuary, and two of their chicks.

AKA Notornis mantelli hochstetteri and Porphyrio mantelli hochstetteri.

A flightless Rail, and the world's largest living species in the family. Endangered, and believed hunted to extinction by 1898, then rediscovered in 1948 around Lake Te Anau in the Murchison Mountains. The North Island Takahē or Moho (Porphyrio mantelli) didn't have the same luck.

They lost most of their lowland habitat as swamplands were destroyed for agriculture, and in the wild now live only in alpine tussock grasslands, moving down into forests in winter. Deer remain serious competitors, leading to culling programs in the Murchisons.

Breeding pairs have been sent to refuges around the country, to try and preserve the species should anything else befall the wild birds. Inbreeding even in the wild population has unfortunately lead to serious fertility problems, on top of their slow reproductive rate.

Orokonui Ecosanctuary, Aotearoa New Zealand