Swamphen

For the Latin grammarian sometimes known as Porphyrio, see Pomponius Porphyrion.

Porphyrio is the swamphen or swamp hen bird genus in the rail family. It includes some smaller species of gallinules which are sometimes separated as genus Porphyrula or united with the gallinules proper (or "moorhens") in Gallinula. The Porphyrio gallinules are distributed in the warmer regions of the world. The group probably originated in Africa in the Middle Miocene, before spreading across the world in waves from the Late Miocene to Pleistocene.^[1]

Swamphen Temporal range: Middle Miocene-Present 15–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Western swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio in Mallorca, Spain
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Gruiformes
Family:	Rallidae
Genus:	Porphyrio Brisson, 1760
Type species
Porphyrio porphyrio Linnaeus, 1758
Species
See text
Synonyms
Notornis Porphyrula

The genus Porphyrio was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the western swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) as the type species.^[2][3] The genus name Porphyrio is the Latin name for "swamphen",^[4] meaning "purple".

Species

The genus contains ten extant species and two that have become extinct in historical times:^[5]

Extant species

• Purple swamphen complex^[6][1]
  • Western swamphen, Porphyrio porphyrio
  • African swamphen, Porphyrio madagascariensis
  • Grey-headed swamphen, Porphyrio poliocephalus
  • Black-backed swamphen, Porphyrio indicus
  • Philippine swamphen, Porphyrio pulverulentus
  • Australasian swamphen, also known as pūkeko, Porphyrio melanotus
• South Island takahē, Porphyrio hochstetteri
• Allen's gallinule, also known as lesser gallinule, Porphyrio alleni (formerly Porphyrula alleni)
• American purple gallinule, Porphyrio martinica (formerly Porphyrula martinica)
• Azure gallinule, Porphyrio flavirostris

Extinct species

• White swamphen, or Lord Howe swamphen Porphyrio albus (early 19th century)
• Réunion swamphen, or oiseau bleu, Porphyrio coerulescens (18th century, hypothetical species)
• Marquesas swamphen, Porphyrio paepae (prehistoric or c. 1900)
• North Island takahē, or moho, Porphyrio mantelli (prehistoric or 1890s)
• New Caledonian swamphen, Porphyrio kukwiedei (prehistoric or more recent)
• Huahine swamphen, Porphyrio mcnabi (prehistoric)
• Buka swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (prehistoric)
• Giant swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (prehistoric)
• New Ireland swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (prehistoric)
• Norfolk Island swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (prehistoric)
• Rota swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (prehistoric)
• Mangaia swamphen/woodhen, ?Porphyrio sp. (prehistoric) - would belong into Porphyrula, Gallinula or Pareudiastes