Creepy Bird of the Month #4: Purple Swamphen

Welcome to another installment of Creepy Bird of the Month. This months featured freakazoid is the Purple Swamphen which was nominated for Creepy Bird of the Month by my good friend Matt. Thank you Matt, for your suggestion!

Now this bird isn't your typical ugly bird. In fact, at first look it's not ugly at all. But this series is called "Creepy Bird of the Month," not "Ugly Bird of the Month" and this bird gets creepy credit due to its enormously ghoulish legs and feet. Seriously, this bird is the Bigfoot of the Avian world. One look at those huge, disturbing spider-like claws they use as feet and you'll be creeped out too.


The Purple Swamphen (swamp hen) is a large Rail. It is mainly dusky black above, with a broad dark blue collar, and dark blue to purple below. As the Purple Swamphen walks, it flicks its tail up and down, revealing its white undertail. It has a red bill with frontal shield, and its legs and feet are orange-red. For such a bulky bird, the Swamphen is an accomplished flier and will readily take flight to escape danger. In flight, the long legs and elongated toes trail behind or hang underneath the body. Purple Swamphens are proficient swimmers, but prefer to wander on the edges of the water, among reeds and on floating vegetation.

Purple Swamphens are common throughout eastern and northern Australia, with a separate subspecies common in the extreme south-west of the continent. Birds have transported themselves from Australia to New Guinea and New Zealand and throughout the islands of the south-west Pacific. It has been suggested that the New Zealand population of Purple Swamphens (locally called the Pukeko) originated in Australia.

The Purple Swamphen has recently been split into the following species:

  • Western Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) Southwest Europe and northwest Africa
  • African Swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis) sub-Saharan continental Africa and Madagascar
  • Grey-headed Swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus) Middle East, through the Indian subcontinent       to Southern China and Northern Thailand
  • Black-backed Swamphen (Porphyrio indicus) Southeast Asia to Sulawesi
  • Philippine Swamphen (Porphyrio pulverulentus) Philippine islands
  • Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania

The Western Swamphen used to be considered the nominate subspecies of the Purple Swamphen. From its French name talève sultane, it is also known as the sultana bird. This chicken-sized bird is easily recognizable in its native range. It is found in Iberia, France, Sardinia and North Africa to Tunisia.

I love learning about strange new birds don't you? 
Can you think of a creepy bird that would be a good candidate for a future edition of Creepy Bird of the Month? I would love to hear it! Comment below and I'll check it out.

For more about the Purple Swamphen and it's management, taxonomy, and natural history, click here.

Photo credit Getty Images

Photo credit Getty Images

Photo credit Getty Images