Bird Album
Australasian Swamphen
Porphyrio melanotus Temminck, 1820
774 gWeight
Busiest months: January and October–November · Most records: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: January and October–November · Most records: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea
Australasian Swamphen has been recorded at 373 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 13 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature ReserveAustralia10,103 records
- Western Treatment PlantAustralia8,781 records
- Sandy Camp Road WetlandsAustralia5,486 records
More places
- Oxley Creek CommonAustralia5,313 records
- Centennial ParkAustralia4,482 records
- Royal Botanic Gardens MelbourneAustralia4,405 records
- Herdsman LakeAustralia4,003 records
- Royal ParkAustralia3,847 records
- Dowse LagoonAustralia3,300 records
- Hasties Swamp National ParkAustralia3,046 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 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 and Kai Islands), Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia. A member of the rail family, it is part of the diverse order Gruiformes, which includes species with similar characteristics such as cranes and other rail species. Within the Australasian swamphen species, five recognised subspecies exist, with P. m. melanotus being the most common and widely distributed in New Zealand.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Australasian Swamphen?
The Australasian Swamphen weighs around 774 g.
Where does the Australasian Swamphen live?
Its breeding range: Australasia, Pacific Ocean: widespread. It is most often recorded in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
When is the best time to see the Australasian Swamphen?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
What does the Australasian Swamphen eat?
Main food: Aquatic plants.
What family is the Australasian Swamphen in?
It belongs to the family Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae), order Gruiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 774 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Aquatic plants
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
More measurements
- Wing
- 235 mm
- Tail
- 86 mm
- Bill
- 56 mm
- Tarsus
- 80 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Australasia, Pacific Ocean: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rails, Crakes & Coots Rallidae
- Genus
- Porphyrio
Other birds in the genus Porphyrio
Allen's GallinulePorphyrio alleni
Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
Azure GallinulePorphyrio flavirostris
Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
African SwamphenPorphyrio madagascariensis
Grey-headed SwamphenPorphyrio poliocephalus
Black-backed SwamphenPorphyrio indicus
Philippine SwamphenPorphyrio pulverulentus
South Island TakahePorphyrio hochstetteri
Grey-throated RailCanirallus oculeus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by andrew_mc. ↗
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