Western Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)

West Palm Beach, FL
2023-10-04

The Western Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is a large waterfowl belonging to the rail family (Rallidae). It has a vibrant blue to purple plumage, which covers most of its body, and its robust red bill and frontal shield. This waterbird is often found in wetlands, marshes, and swamps, where it forages for a variety of food, including plant material, insects, and small aquatic creatures.

The Western Swamphen shares similarities with the American Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica), another colorful and vibrant waterbird found in the United States. One key difference is the frontal shield: the Western Swamphen has a red bill and frontal shield, whereas the American Purple Gallinule features a bill that is red with a yellow tip and a light blue shield.

Other Rallidae species:

Acorn Woodpecker• American Coot• American Crow• American Robin• American White Ibis• American White Pelican• Anhinga• Audubon's Warbler• Black Phoebe• Black-Capped Chickadee• Blue Jay• Boat-Tailed Grackle• Brewer's Blackbird• Brown Pelican• Bufflehead• Canada Goose• Chestnut-Backed Chickadee• Collared-Dove• Common Gallinule• Common Goldeneye• Common Grackle• Double-Crested Cormorant• Downy Woodpecker• European Starling• Fox Sparrow• Glossy Ibis• Golden-Crowned Sparrow• Graylag Goose• **Great Blue Heron• Great Egret• Herring Gull• House Sparrow• **Killdeer• Least Bittern• Least Sandpiper• Lesser Goldfinch• Limpkin• Lincoln's Sparrow• Mallard• Mourning Dove• Northern Cardinal• Northern Mockingbird• Oak Titmouse• Osprey• Palm Warbler• Pied-Billed Grebe• Purple Finch• Red-Bellied Woodpecker• Red-Breasted Nuthatch• Red-Winged Blackbird• Ring-Billed Gull• Ringed Plover• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet• Sanderling• Sandhill Crane• Semipalmated Sandpiper• Sharp-Shinned Hawk• Short-Tailed Hawk• Snowy Egret• Song Sparrow• Spotted Towhee• Steller's Jay• Tricolored Heron• Trumpeter Swan• Tufted Titmouse• Turkey Vulture• Western Grebe• Western Gull• Western Meadowlark• Western Scrub Jay• **Western Swamphen• White-Breasted Nuthatch• White-Crowned Sparrow• Wild Turkey• Willet• Wood Stork