Porphyrio madagascariensis

(Latham, 1802)

Vernacular names
English : African swamphen
French : Talève d’Afrique

Classification
Class : Aves
Order : Gruiformes
Family : Rallidae
Notes : No subspecies known

Identification
Total length of 50 cm for a weight of 687 g. Large red bill, red forehead shield. Blue plumage, lighter on face and neck, greenish back and upper wings.

Range and habitat
This species occurs in Egypt and most of subsaharan Africa, also Madagascar. Lives in wetlands around rivers, marshes, flooded grasslands, lakes.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species is relatively common in many parts of its range although local declines have been noted. It is intensively hunted and now patchily distributed.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation
Dierenpark Planckendael (Belgium)

 

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