Western swamphen
Western swamphen | |
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On the island of Mallorca, Spain | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Gruiformes |
Family: | Rallidae |
Genus: | Porphyrio |
Species: | P. porphyrio
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Binomial name | |
Porphyrio porphyrio | |
Synonyms | |
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The western swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is a species of
Behaviour
The species makes loud, quick, bleating and hooting calls which are hardly bird-like in tone. It is particularly noisy during the breeding season. Despite being clumsy in flight, it can fly long distances and is a good swimmer, especially for a bird without webbed feet.
Breeding
Western swamphens are generally seasonal breeders, correlating with peak rainfall in many places, or summer in more temperate climes.[3] The purple swamphen breeds in warm reed beds. The pattern of social behaviour tends to be monogamy.[3]
Pairs nest in a large pad of interwoven reed flags, etc., on a mass of floating debris or amongst matted reeds slightly above water level in swamps, clumps of rushes in paddocks or long unkempt grass. Each bird can lay 3–6 speckled
Diet and feeding
The western swamphen prefers wet areas with high rainfall, swamps, lake edges and damp pastures. The birds often live in pairs and larger communities. It clambers through the reeds, eating the tender shoots and vegetable-like matter. They have been known to eat eggs, ducklings, small fish and
Relationship with humans
Ancient times
Swamphens were often kept in captivity in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. The behavior of the species was described in some detail by Aristotle in History of Animals (4th century BC), and they were also mentioned by Aristophanes (5th century BC), Pliny the Elder (1st century BC), Aelian and Athenaeus (2nd to 3rd century AD).[2] 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 distinguished by Pliny the Elder who considered the former superior.[2] They typically were not kept for food, but instead were decorative birds in villas and temples.[2] If raised in captivity swamphens tend to become quite tame. There are many depictions of the species on Roman mosaics and frescos, typically in a natural or domestic environment, including the famous garden fresco from Pompeii. In early Christianity it was also frequently depicted, but here symbolising the richness of life and often perched in the tree of life.[2]
Status and conservation
Today the western swamphen is locally common, with the largest population in Spain. It was formerly listed as "Rare" by the European Union, but has been delisted to "Localised".[2]
The species declined drastically in the first half of the 20th century due to habitat loss and hunting. It was relatively widespread until 1900, but by the 1960s it was seriously
Little is known about the status of the western swamphen in Africa, but northeastern Algeria is considered one of its strongholds in this region.[9]
When protected, western swamphens are able to thrive in human-managed habitats,[4] and in some places they live in paddy fields, resulting in conflicts with farmers as they can be destructive to the rice.[5]
References
- . Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ .
- ^ ISBN 84-87334-20-2
- ^ S2CID 12196978.
- ^ PMID 29707429.
- .
- ^ a b Andreotti, A.; R. Ientile (2004). "La reintroduzione del Pollo sultano (Porphyrio porphyrio) in Sicilia (Aves Rallidae)". Il Naturalista Siciliano. IV (XXVIII): 599–603.
- ^ Grussu, G. (1999). "Status and breeding ecology of the Purple Swamp-hen, Poprhyrio porphyrio, in Italy". British Birds. 92: 183–192.
- S2CID 255104439.
- Leo, Roger (2006). 'Shorebirds in Art: Looking at history through the purple swamphen'. Sanctuary: The Journal of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Summer 2006, 45 (4):18–19
- Taylor, Barry and Van Perlo, Ber Rails (a volume in the ISBN 0-300-07758-0.
External links
- Media related to Porphyrio porphyrio at Wikimedia Commons