African Swamphen

Porphyrio madagascariensis (Latham, 1801)

636 gWeight

The African swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis) is a species of swamphen occurring in Egypt, Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.

Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Uganda, Kenya

Where and when it's recorded

African Swamphen has been recorded at 285 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 33 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Strandfontein WTPSouth Africa1,875 records
Marievale Bird SanctuarySouth Africa925 records
Rondevlei NRSouth Africa597 records

More places

Mabamba SwampUganda491 records
Wakkerstroom Wetland NR – bridge/causewaySouth Africa450 records
Wakkerstroom Wetland NRSouth Africa266 records
Mabamba Swamp – Main channelUganda260 records
Dambwa LagoonsZambia226 records
Kartong WetlandGambia224 records
Macaneta – Wetland, dune forests and coastMozambique208 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South Africa Uganda Kenya Senegal Egypt Israel Namibia Zambia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The African swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis) is a species of swamphen occurring in Egypt, Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It used to be considered a subspecies of the western swamphen, which it resembles, but with bronze green or green-blue back and scapulars. It also resembles the grey-headed swamphen of Asia, sharing the greenish back with it, but lacking the paler grey head of that species.

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