Western Swamphen
Porphyrio porphyrio
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderGruiformes (Cranes, Rails, and Allies)
- FamilyRallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots)
- GenusPorphyrio (Swamphens and Blue Gallinules)
- SpeciesPorphyrio porphyrio (Western Swamphen)
The western swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is a species of swamphen in the rail family Rallidae, one of the six species of purple swamphen. This chicken-sized bird, with its large feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is easily recognisable in its native range. It used to be considered the nominate subspecies of the purple swamphen, but is now recognised as a separate species. The western swamphen is found in wetlands in Spain (where the largest population lives), Portugal, southeastern France, Italy (Sardinia and Sicily) and northwestern Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Hemis National Park
Common Moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
Eurasian Coot
Fulica atra
Ruddy-breasted Crake
Porzana fusca
Baillon's Crake
Porzana pusilla
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticus
White-breasted Waterhen
Amaurornis phoenicurus
Spotted Crake
Porzana porzana
Demoiselle Crane
Anthropoides virgo
Black-necked Crane
Grus nigricollis
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Western Swamphen at Hemis National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there