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Photo: Morhaf kamal aljanee · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗
African Swamphen
Grootkoningriethaan · Porphyrio madagascariensis
A large, richly coloured waterbird, deep purple-blue with a green-bronze back, a chunky red bill and big red feet. It clambers through reeds, using a foot to grip stems and pull food to its bill. Shy but striking, it gives loud nasal calls and shows a white undertail as it disappears into cover.
Log your African Swamphen sighting — free →How to identify it
A large purple-blue waterbird with a heavy red bill, red forehead shield and long red legs, much bigger than a moorhen.
Listen for its call
Loud, harsh shrieks, cackles and trumpeting from reedbeds.
Where to see it in Kruger
Skulks in tall reedbeds and bulrushes around pans and dams, mostly in the south.
Did you know
It lifts food up to its mouth with one big foot, almost like holding a snack in its hand.
Often confused with
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