The purple swamphen has been split into the following species:
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Western swamphen
The western swamphen (known as Purple Swamphen) (''Porphyrio porphyrio'') is a swamphen in the rail family Rallidae, one of the six species of purple swamphen. From the French name ''talève sultane'', it is also known as the sultana bird. This ...
, ''Porphyrio porphyrio'', southwest Europe and northwest Africa
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African swamphen
The African swamphen (''Porphyrio madagascariensis'') is a species of swamphen occurring in Egypt, Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen, which it resembles, but with bronze green or gre ...
, ''Porphyrio madagascariensis'', sub-Saharan continental Africa and Madagascar
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Grey-headed swamphen
The grey-headed swamphen (''Porphyrio poliocephalus'') is a species of swamphen occurring from the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent to southern China and northern Thailand. It used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen, bu ...
, ''Porphyrio poliocephalus'', Middle East, through the Indian subcontinent to southern China and northern Thailand
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Black-backed swamphen
The black-backed swamphen (''Porphyrio indicus'') is a species of swamphen occurring from southeast Asia to Sulawesi and Borneo. It used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen The purple swamphen has been split into the following sp ...
, ''Porphyrio indicus'', southeast Asia to Sulawesi
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Philippine swamphen
Philippine swamphen (''Porphyrio pulverulentus'' Temminck, 1826) is a species of swamphen occurring in The Philippines. It used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen The purple swamphen has been split into the following species:
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, ''Porphyrio pulverulentus'', Philippine islands
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Australasian swamphen
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 pu ...
, ''Porphyrio melanotus'', Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania
See also
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Swamphen
''Porphyrio'' is the swamphen or swamp hen bird genus in the rail family. It includes some smaller species which are usually called "purple gallinules", and which are sometimes separated as genus ''Porphyrula'' or united with the gallinules pro ...
, the genus ''Porphyrio''
References
{{Animal common name
Birds by common name
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