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Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | not a migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 18,400,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 18,400,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Unknown | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 5.9 | - | - | - |
| Trend justification: The overall population trend is uncertain, as some populations are decreasing, while others are increasing, stable, or have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Native | No | |||
| Algeria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| American Samoa | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Angola | Native | No | |||
| Australia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Austria | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | |||
| Bangladesh | Native | No | |||
| Belgium | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Bhutan | Native | No | |||
| Botswana | Native | No | |||
| Burkina Faso | Native | No | |||
| Burundi | Native | No | |||
| Cambodia | Native | No | |||
| Cameroon | Native | No | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Native | No | |||
| Central African Republic | Native | No | |||
| Chad | Native | No | |||
| China (mainland) | Native | No | |||
| Congo | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | Native | No | |||
| Croatia | Native | No | |||
| Cyprus | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Czech Republic | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Egypt | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ethiopia | Native | No | |||
| Fiji | Native | No | |||
| France | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Gambia | Native | No | |||
| Germany | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Ghana | Native | No | |||
| Greece | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Guinea-Bissau | Native | No | |||
| Hong Kong (China) | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Hungary | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| India | Native | No | |||
| Indonesia | Native | No | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | |||
| Iraq | Native | No | |||
| Israel | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Italy | Native | No | |||
| Jordan | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kenya | Native | No | |||
| Kuwait | Native | No | |||
| Laos | Native | No | |||
| Lebanon | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Lesotho | Native | No | |||
| Liberia | Native | No | |||
| Madagascar | Native | No | |||
| Malawi | Native | No | |||
| Malaysia | Native | No | |||
| Mali | Native | No | |||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Mauritius | Native | Yes | |||
| Morocco | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mozambique | Native | No | |||
| Myanmar | Native | No | |||
| Namibia | Native | No | |||
| Nepal | Native | No | |||
| New Caledonia (to France) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| New Zealand | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Niger | Native | No | |||
| Nigeria | Native | No | |||
| Niue (to New Zealand) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Norway | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Oman | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Pakistan | Native | No | |||
| Palau | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Papua New Guinea | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Philippines | Native | No | |||
| Poland | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Portugal | Native | No | |||
| Qatar | Native | No | |||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Rwanda | Native | No | |||
| Samoa | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Senegal | Native | No | |||
| Sierra Leone | Native | No | |||
| Singapore | Native | No | |||
| Solomon Islands | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Somalia | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| South Africa | Native | No | |||
| Spain | Native | No | |||
| Sri Lanka | Native | No | |||
| St Helena (to UK) | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Sudan | Native | No | |||
| Swaziland | Native | No | |||
| Syria | Native | No | |||
| Tanzania | Native | No | |||
| Thailand | Native | No | |||
| Timor-Leste | Native | No | |||
| Togo | Native | No | |||
| Tonga | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Tunisia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Turkey | Native | No | |||
| Turkmenistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Uganda | Native | No | |||
| United Arab Emirates | Native | No | |||
| Vanuatu | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Vietnam | Native | No | |||
| Zambia | Native | No | |||
| Zimbabwe | Native | No |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Azerbaijan | Shorgel lakes/Shirvan reserve |  |
| Burkina Faso | Béli River | |
| Burkina Faso | Lake Oursi - Lake Darkoye | |
| Egypt | Lake Burullus Protected Area | |
| Egypt | Lake Manzala | |
| Egypt | Wadi El Rayan Protected Area | |
| India | Mangal Jodi | |
| Malawi | Lake Chilwa and flood-plain | |
| Mali | Lac Débo - Lac Oualado Débo | |
| Mauritania | Gâat Mahmoûdé | |
| Mauritania | Lac d'Aleg | |
| Mauritania | Lac de Mâl | |
| Mauritania | Rkîz | |
| Mauritania | Sawana - Oum Lellé | |
| Myanmar | Indawgyi Lake and Indawgyi River | |
| Niger | Kokoro wetland | |
| Nigeria | Hadejia-Nguru wetlands | |
| Portugal | Lagoa Pequena | |
| Portugal | Paul do Boquilobo | |
| Portugal | Pera marsh | |
| Portugal | Ria Formosa (Faro lagoon) | |
| Portugal | Santo André and Sancha lagoons | |
| Portugal | Vilamoura | |
| Russia (European) | Chechen' Island and east seaside of Agrakhan peninsula | |
| Senegal | Djoudj wetlands | |
| Senegal | Niayes (from Dakar to St Louis) | |
| Spain | Albufera de Mallorca and Albufereta de Pollença marshes | |
| Spain | Ampurdán marshes | |
| Spain | Castrejón reservoir | |
| Spain | Cortados del Jarama | |
| Spain | Ebro delta | |
| Spain | El Moro marshes | |
| Spain | Lebrija, Las Cabezas and Espera lagoons | |
| Spain | Marmolejo reservoir-La Ropera | |
| Spain | Medina and Puerto Real lagoons | |
| Spain | Middle section of river Guadalquivir reservoirs | |
| Spain | Wetlands at south Córdoba | |
| Turkey | Göksu Delta | |
| Turkey | Kızılırmak Delta | |
| Turkey | Seyhan Delta | |
| Vietnam | U Minh Thuong | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Wastewater Treatment Areas | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Freshwater Lakes | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 2500 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Sport | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Porphyrio porphyrio. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Rallidae (Rails, crakes and allies) |
| Species name author | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Unknown |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 18,400,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
|
- Summary information on this species - Climate change species distributions | |
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