''Porphyrio'' is the swamphen or swamp hen

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

genus in the rail family. It includes some smaller species of gallinules which are sometimes separated as genus ''Porphyrula'' or united with the gallinules proper (or "moorhens") in '' Gallinula''. The ''Porphyrio'' gallinules are distributed in the warmer regions of the world. The group probably originated in Africa in the Middle Miocene, before spreading across the world in waves from the Late Miocene to Pleistocene. The

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Porphyrio'' was introduced by the French zoologist

Mathurin Jacques Brisson Mathurin Jacques Brisson (; 30 April 1723 – 23 June 1806) was a French zoologist and natural philosophy, natural philosopher. Brisson was born on 30 April 1723 at Fontenay-le-Comte in the Vendée department of western France. Note that page 14 ...

in 1760 with the

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. From the French name ''talève sultane'', it is also known as the sultana bird. This chicken-sized ...

(''Porphyrio porphyrio'') as the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

. The genus name ''Porphyrio'' is the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

name for "swamphen", meaning "

purple Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

Species

The genus contains ten extant species and two that have become extinct in historical times:

Extant species

Purple swamphen The purple swamphen has been split into the following species: * Western swamphen, ''Porphyrio porphyrio'', southwest Europe and northwest Africa * African swamphen, ''Porphyrio madagascariensis'', sub-Saharan continental Africa and Madagascar * ...

complex **

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. From the French name ''talève sultane'', it is also known as the sultana bird. This chicken-sized ...

, ''Porphyrio porphyrio'' ** African swamphen, ''Porphyrio madagascariensis'' ** Grey-headed swamphen, ''Porphyrio poliocephalus'' **

Black-backed swamphen The black-backed swamphen (''Porphyrio indicus'') is a species of swamphen occurring from southeast Asia to Sulawesi and Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population o ...

, ''Porphyrio indicus'' ** Philippine swamphen, ''Porphyrio pulverulentus'' **

Australasian swamphen The Australasian swamphen (''Porphyrio melanotus''), commonly known as the pūkeko in New Zealand, is a striking and socially complex bird found in Oceania, including eastern Indonesia (the Moluccas, Aru Islands, Aru and Kai Islands), Papua New ...

, also known as pūkeko, ''Porphyrio melanotus'' * South Island takahē, ''Porphyrio hochstetteri'' *

Allen's gallinule Allen's gallinule (''Porphyrio alleni''), formerly known as the lesser gallinule, is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae. Taxonomy Its former binomial name is ''Porphyrula alleni''. ''Porphyrio'' is the Latin for "swamphen", and ''alleni ...

, also known as lesser gallinule, ''Porphyrio alleni'' (formerly ''Porphyrula alleni'') *

American purple gallinule The purple gallinule (''Porphyrio martinica'') is a swamphen in the genus ''Porphyrio''. It is in the order Gruiformes, meaning "crane-like", an order which also contains cranes, rails, and crakes. The purple gallinule is a rail species, plac ...

, ''Porphyrio martinica'' (formerly ''Porphyrula martinica'') *

Azure gallinule The azure gallinule (''Porphyrio flavirostris'') is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Per ...

, ''Porphyrio flavirostris''

Extinct species

White swamphen The white swamphen (''Porphyrio albus''), also known as the Lord Howe swamphen, Lord Howe gallinule or white gallinule, is an extinct species of rail which lived on Lord Howe Island, east of Australia. It was first encountered when the crews o ...

, or Lord Howe swamphen ''Porphyrio albus'' (early 19th century) *

Réunion swamphen The Réunion swamphen (''Porphyrio caerulescens''), also known as the Réunion gallinule or ' (French for "blue bird"), is a hypothetical extinct species of rail that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Réunion. While only known from 17th- ...

, or ', ''Porphyrio coerulescens'' (18th century, hypothetical species) *

Marquesas swamphen The Marquesas swamphen (''Porphyrio paepae'') is an extinct species of swamphen from the Marquesas Islands Hiva Oa and Tahuata. It was originally described from 600-year-old subfossil remains from Tahuata and Hiva Oa. It may have survived to aro ...

, ''Porphyrio paepae'' (

prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

or ) *

North Island takahē The North Island takahē () (''Porphyrio mantelli'') is an extinct species of flightless swamphen that was native to the North Island of New Zealand. It is closely related to the living South Island takahē. Description This flightless speci ...

, or ', ''Porphyrio mantelli'' (

or 1890s) *

New Caledonian swamphen The New Caledonian gallinule (''Porphyrio kukwiedei'') is an extinct species of bird in the family Rallidae. It was endemic to New Caledonia and probably became extinct due to hunting, habitat loss and the presence of invasive species following h ...

, ''Porphyrio kukwiedei'' (

or more recent) *

Huahine swamphen The Huahine swamphen (''Porphyrio mcnabi'') is an extinct species of bird in the family Rallidae. It was a small swamphen endemic to Huahine in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. It is known only from subfossil remains found at the Fa'ah ...

, ''Porphyrio mcnabi'' (

) * Buka swamphen, ''Porphyrio'' sp. (

) * Giant swamphen, ''Porphyrio'' sp. (

) * New Ireland swamphen, ''Porphyrio'' sp. (

) * Norfolk Island swamphen, ''Porphyrio'' sp. (

) * Rota swamphen, ''Porphyrio'' sp. (

) * Mangaia swamphen/woodhen, ?''Porphyrio'' sp. (

) - would belong into ''Porphyrula'', ''Gallinula'' or ''Pareudiastes''

References

*Taylor, P. Barry & van Perlo, Ber (1998): ''Rails: a guide to the rails, crakes, gallinules, and coots of the world''. Yale University Press, New Haven.

External links

Swamphens fighting, Centennial Park, Sydney
YouTube
Swamphens fighting, Centennial Park, Sydney
YouTube Taxa named by Mathurin Jacques Brisson {{Gruiformes-stub