African Swamphen

Porphyrio madagascariensis

Wetlands. Head and below blue; back, tail and wings green; bill and frontal shield red; legs pink.

Coots, Gallinules, Moorhens

Not Endemic

Description

Common resident. Large and bulky, with predominantly purple-blue and dark green coloration. Larger than [American Purple Gallinule] and [Allen’s Gallinule], differing in an entirely red frontal shield and bill and pink legs. Immature is duller; brownish with red-brown legs. Has a deep, explosive bubbling call varied with various shrieks and groans. Occurs singly or in pairs in marshes and the vegetation surrounding inland waters, especially sewage ponds. Walks about on mudflats and reed-bed fringes, sometimes clambering about tangled reeds. Can swim and is not secretive.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Small to fairly large, long-legged, large-footed, mainly freshwater-associated birds. A few species inhabit grassland, vleis or lush forest undergrowth. Most water-associated species habitually flick their tails to reveal white undertail coverts. Coots and moorhens are blackish with brightly coloured frontal shields (foreheads) and bills. Gallinules have blue-green plumage. Many species are extremely secretive and almost impossible to see, except when they fly clumsily with feet hanging low over vegetation.