Western swamphen

Porphyrio porphyrio

The Western swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is a bird found in India, Australia, Spain, United States and South Africa. Marshes and reed beds across Europe, Africa and Asia. It eats leaves and other plant parts, seeds and nuts and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Porphyrio porphyrio
Region	Asia
Found in	India, Australia, Spain, United States and South Africa

🏡 Where the Western swamphen lives

Marshes and reed beds across Europe, Africa and Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

🌿 Leaves & plants40%
🌰 Seeds & nuts30%
🐛 Insects & bugs10%
🐭 Mammals & birds10%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It has big feet and a red bill, and tails flicks as it walks.

Hear the Western swamphen

Recorded by Michael John O Mahony (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1092343. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Western swamphen

Where does the Western swamphen live?

The Western swamphen lives in India, Australia, Spain, United States and South Africa. Marshes and reed beds across Europe, Africa and Asia.

What does the Western swamphen eat?

leaves and other plant parts (about 40%), seeds and nuts (about 30%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 10%), small mammals and birds (about 10%), reptiles and frogs (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Western swamphen endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Asia

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.