It’s unclear which major taxonomic body might act on all this information. Feeds, often clumsily, at muddy water edges, in … The sister taxon to the Mediterranean birds occurs on Borneo and the western Indonesian islands. IOC World Bird Names, version 6.4 (v.1)
The African Swamphen split off next; it has a green back and a brighter blue face and breast. “Although rare misplaced haplotypes of this sort might be evidence of ongoing exchange among island populations, they could also be the product of incomplete lineage sorting or past migration events,” they say. There are three subspecies in this group: caspius, seistanicus, poliocephalus — García-Ramírez and Trewick sampled the latter two. However the American Ornithologists’ Union, which traditionally holds the authority to name New World birds, still calls it the Purple Swamphen. It is mainly dusky black above, with a broad dark blue collar, and dark blue to purple below. I’m going to have to look at those Florida swamphens much more closely. African Swamphen, Porphyrio madagascariensis in South Africa by Derek Keats. Here’s hoping that this remarkably successful and adaptable group of birds someday gets the greater recognition and understanding it deserves. eBird version 2016 (v.1)
If split, their scientific name would be P. indicus. TSN: 708098. Also known locally as the Pūkeko, African Purple Swamphen, Purple Moorhen, Purple Gallinule or Purple Coot. It varies in appearance across its enormous range, and a new genetic study — Dispersal and speciation in purple swamphens (Rallidae: Porphyrio) — bolsters the case that this “supertramp” is actually a superspecies that could be split into six different species. eBird version 2017 (v.1)
In flight, the long … Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) in Papua New Guinea by David J. Ringer. As indicated by the English moniker “black-backed,” these birds have blackish wings and backs. There are three subspecies in this group: caspius, seistanicus, poliocephalus — García-Ramírez and Trewick sampled the latter two. He also mentions, however, that the same unpublished study shows female birds in Florida tending to be blue-headed and male birds tending to be gray-headed. Nice article and you cut right to the chase; what is a species? The Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio is a "swamp hen" in the rail family Rallidae. In Florida, Purple Swamphens (Fig. The western Mediterranean birds are bluish-purple all over. I’ve spoken to the Bombay Natural History Society and they haven’t got a clue. The two takahes split off between the African Swamphen and the Gray-headed Swamphen, about 2.5 million years ago, the authors estimate. Swamphens were often kept in captivity in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. (See the white-eye account below for another. Sources indicate that these birds typically were western swamphens (originating from the Balearic Islands, among others) or grey-headed swamphens(originating from Turkey), and the two were already d… Clements, version 2015 (v.1)
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In Bill Pranty’s Birding article on Florida swamphens, he discusses reports that the founding pair of the Florida population may have been a mixed pair but also that unpublished genetic data align closely with Gray-headed Swamphen. Black-backed Swamphen (Porphyrio indicus) in Java, Indonesia, by Ron Knight. Sexes are similar except female's head is mostly blue and male's head is mostly blue-gray. Porphyrio [poliocephalus, melanotus or indicus], Porphyrio [madagascariensis x poliocephalus]. Dispersal and speciation in purple swamphens (Rallidae: Porphyrio), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/PurpleGallinule.jpg, http://10000birds.com/purple-swamphen-supertramp-or-superspecies.htm, Best Bird of the Weekend (Third of November 2020). Earlier this year, based on DNA analysis, the Purple Swamphen was split into six species. A very large bluish-purple gallinule with a red bill and forehead shield and red legs and feet with long toes. You must be logged in to view your sighting details. Authorities recognizing this taxonomic concept: Species status:
Those birds may eventually be dubbed Gray-headed Swamphen. The Gray-headed Swamphen ranges from Turkey through India to northern Thailand. Also known locally as the Pūkeko, African Purple Swamphen, Purple Moorhen, Purple Gallinule or Purple Coot. Porphyrio is the swamphen or swamp hen bird genus in the rail family. Long, red-pink legs and long toes. From its French name talève sultane, it is also known as the Sultana Bird.
The more we look at movement of birds, variation in plumage and size, and genetic information, the more we have to conclude that in many instances there is no absolute cut-off between populations and species. MyAvibase allows you to create and manage your own lifelists, and produce useful reports to help you plan your next birding excursion. Multiple dispersal events have founded new populations in some of the remotest corners of the world, populations that have gone on to diversify and find success. Or, they may be determined to be of hybrid origin, which would be an challenging taxonomic situation but perhaps perfectly fitting for such a prolific global innovator. The IOC World Bird List already recognizes African Swamphen as a separate species and may proceed to split the rest based on this study. IOC World Bird Names, version 7.3 (v.1), Avibase has been visited 312,087,649 times since 24 June 2003. Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 05 (Jan 2017) (v.1)
Moving on to the heart of the matter, García-Ramírez and Trewick show that “Purple Swamphen” as currently recognized is paraphyletic with respect to the critically endangered (South Island) Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri) and the extinct North Island Takahe (Porphyrio mantelli) and Lord Howe (White) Swamphen (Porphyrio albus). So it sounds like there’s more work to do in Florida. In Europe, purple swamphens live in the Atlantic and Mediterranean basins where there are suitable lagoons, rivers, and other wetlands. Clements, version 2017 (v.1)
The tail is flicked up often, revealing fluffy white “underpants.” Juveniles are duller than adults and lack the red bill and shield. The bill is red and robust, and the legs and feet orange-red. The problem was identified by Charles Darwin and new data just confirm his conclusion that we have to accept species classification like genus classification… basically arbitrary for our convenience. From its French name talève sultane, it is also known as the Sultana Bird. To register to myAvibase click here. David J. Ringer is exploring the world one bird at a time. Learn how your comment data is processed. This chicken-sized bird, with its large feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is easily-recognisable in its native range. IOC World Bird Names, version 6.1 (v.1)