General description ⁶

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. The bill is red and robust, and the legs and feet orange-red. For such a bulky bird, the Swamphen is an accomplished flier and will readily take to the air to escape danger. In flight, the long legs and elongated toes trail behind or hang underneath the body.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5088/5380739659_f020894724.jpg
2. George Dvorsky, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/76067.jpg
3. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5008/5381342192_3f4fcf05e0.jpg
4. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5007/5381342506_893c20a1dc.jpg
5. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5003/5380739383_52a2723210.jpg
6. (c) Katerina Tvardikova, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31846161

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• NBN Atlas
• VertNet
• Xeno-canto

Range Map

(c) Barcode of Life Data Systems, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

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