The similarly-sized Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, has a white bill and face shield and a red eye.The Purple Swamphen, Porphyrio porphyrio, is much larger and has a distinct purple-blue colouring. The Australasian swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) is a species of swamphen (Porphyrio) occurring in eastern Indonesia (the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands), Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand.In New Zealand, it is known as the pukeko (from the Māori pūkeko).The species used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen IEA said last week that rising crude prices may dent demand in some of the world's fastest-growing nations unless producers take steps to boost supplies It has gray-black feathers and a red bill with a yellow tip. They are often referred to as (black) gallinules. Goodbye Moorhen, Hello Gallinule. Rails. I do love to photograph them especially when the light is good. As the Purple Swamphen walks, it flicks its tail up and down, revealing its white undertail. The bill is red and robust, and the legs and feet orange-red. The Coot is black with a distinctive white front face shield and beak, and the Moorhen is brown and black with a distinctive red frontal face shield and beak, tipped with yellow. This picture shows a moment from an hour long dispute between birds over the nesting rights on the island of our main pond. The Purple Swamphen is a large rail. Recently, one of the species of Gallinula was found to have enough differences to form a new genus Paragallinula with the only species being the lesser moorhen (Paragallinula angulata). The bill is red and robust, and the legs and feet orange-red. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, etc. The Common Moorhen or Common Gallinule (Gallinula chloropus) is a bird in the Rail family with an almost worldwide distribution.. It does not have webbed feet like ducks, but is still able to swim quite capably. Large feet enable the moorhen to walk across soggy marsh vegetation. Dusky Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Pacific Black Duck It was a grey skies day with a cool breeze blowing; really good to be out and enjoy a change of scenery in Sydney, at Centennial Park "the People's Park". If Moorhen (e.g., Dusky Moorhen, Tristan Moorhen, Lesser Moorhen) is the predominant name for the Genus globally, I think the NACC and SACC should fall in line for their paltry two species. The bill is red and robust, and the legs and feet orange-red. As the Purple Swamphen walks, it flicks its tail up and down, revealing its white undertail. They said that they thought it was just a large Moorhen and hadn't followed it up. Read more about IEA urges Opec to boost output as high oil prices threaten global economy on Business Standard. The Purple Swamphen is a large rail. Two other water hen species are similar to the Dusky Moorhen but can be easily distinguished. It prefers to hide in vegetation if threatened, but can dive briefly to escape an attack from a hawk. What is the difference between the Australasian Swamphen and the Western Swamphen? An introduced population exists in Florida, though state wildlife biologists are trying to eradicate the birds. The common moorhen lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. It is distributed across many parts of the Old World. Its common name has gone back and forth from Gallinule to Moorhen and back to Gallinule. Sometimes I am okay with changes, other times I am a little hesitant to accept things, and sometimes I just downright cannot stand certain changes. This chicken-sized bird, with its large feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is easily recognisable in its native range. Western Swamphen (and juvenile Moorhen), Minsmere, Suffolk, 2 August 2016 (Dominic Mitchell). joeletx wrote: Outstanding shots of the gallinule. The common moorhen is a meduim-sized member of the rail family found in aquatic environments. It is mainly dusky black above, with a broad dark blue collar, and dark blue to purple below. Western Swamphen, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk (Kit Day). The western swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is a swamphen in the rail family Rallidae, one of the six species of purple swamphen. Dusky Moorhen, back right, feeding on parts of underwater plants; in the foreground an Eurasian Coot (photo courtesy of J. Ross-Taylor) [Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, June 2014] Drew Weber August 9, 2011 Bird News, distribution, General News and Info, General Rant, Identification, Listing, Research, Science 10 Comments. However, it is a reputed egg stealer and will also eat ducklings when it can catch them. It is 12-15 inches in length and has a wingspan of a little under two feet.