Purple Swamphen sighted in the Viera Wetlands
Jul 21, 2012 19:12:45 GMT -5
Post by Ira Runyan on Jul 21, 2012 19:12:45 GMT -5
A Purple Swamphen has been spotted at the Viera Wetlands this week. The Purple Swamphen is an invasive species related to the Moorhen and Purple Gallinule. It looks like a Purple Gallinule except instead of yellow legs and a light blue frontal shield, it has red legs and a red frontal shield. They are normally found in the Miami area. At one time there was a poster at the Viera Wetlands requesting any sightings be reported to the county authorities, but I don't know it it is still posted there. Below is some E-mails I received relating to the sighting.........
[SpaceCoastAudubon] Purple Swamphen at Viera today
From:
Rosemary WEbb <r13webb@yahoo.com>
To: Friendsof Viera Group <friends-of-viera@googlegroups.com>; SCAS <SpaceCoastAudubon@yahoogroups.com>
Folks,
I photographed this Purple Swamphen today at Viera, about 8:15 AM in the NW corner of Cell 1 (near the artificial nesting platform that the Great Blue Herons used this year).
The Purple Swamphen is an invasive species of rail/moorhen. As you can see by its shape, it's closely related to the Common Moorhen, but about twice the wingspan and three times the weight, with longer reddish legs. Its bill is much thicker, and both the bill and the forehead shield is red. Swamphens occur naturally over most of the Pacific Islands, Africa, Asia, Australia, and southern Europe - in fact, the Romans kept them as ornamental waterfowl, similar to the way a lot of folks keep mallards and swans nowadays.
The Purple Swamphen has a very well established breeding presence in Broward County, and is considered a pest species there.
Best,
Rosemary Webb
Re: [SpaceCoastAudubon] Purple Swamphen at Viera today
From:
Rosemary WEbb <r13webb@yahoo.com> [Chat now]
To: Diane Harper <DHarper33@cfl.rr.com>; SCAS <SpaceCoastAudubon@yahoogroups.com>
Oops - I forgot yahoo groups strips the attached pics.
I just uploaded them to flikr:
www.flickr.com/photos/42240407@N03/
Not great pics, but you get the idea. For clearer pictures of the species, try
www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-purple-swamphen.html (keep in mind the species ranges across half the globe, and there are 13 subspecies, so the pics here won't look quite like the gray-headed individual at the Wetlands)
One interesting tidbit: the Purple Swamphen was initially added to the list of species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, because it occurs naturally in Guam, American Samoa, and a few other Pacific Island. In 2010, this was changed to protected *only* where it's a native, so the bird is fair game (at least as far as the feds are concerned).
R.
[SpaceCoastAudubon] Purple Swamphen at Viera today
From:
Rosemary WEbb <r13webb@yahoo.com>
To: Friendsof Viera Group <friends-of-viera@googlegroups.com>; SCAS <SpaceCoastAudubon@yahoogroups.com>
Folks,
I photographed this Purple Swamphen today at Viera, about 8:15 AM in the NW corner of Cell 1 (near the artificial nesting platform that the Great Blue Herons used this year).
The Purple Swamphen is an invasive species of rail/moorhen. As you can see by its shape, it's closely related to the Common Moorhen, but about twice the wingspan and three times the weight, with longer reddish legs. Its bill is much thicker, and both the bill and the forehead shield is red. Swamphens occur naturally over most of the Pacific Islands, Africa, Asia, Australia, and southern Europe - in fact, the Romans kept them as ornamental waterfowl, similar to the way a lot of folks keep mallards and swans nowadays.
The Purple Swamphen has a very well established breeding presence in Broward County, and is considered a pest species there.
Best,
Rosemary Webb
Re: [SpaceCoastAudubon] Purple Swamphen at Viera today
From:
Rosemary WEbb <r13webb@yahoo.com> [Chat now]
To: Diane Harper <DHarper33@cfl.rr.com>; SCAS <SpaceCoastAudubon@yahoogroups.com>
Oops - I forgot yahoo groups strips the attached pics.
I just uploaded them to flikr:
www.flickr.com/photos/42240407@N03/
Not great pics, but you get the idea. For clearer pictures of the species, try
www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-purple-swamphen.html (keep in mind the species ranges across half the globe, and there are 13 subspecies, so the pics here won't look quite like the gray-headed individual at the Wetlands)
One interesting tidbit: the Purple Swamphen was initially added to the list of species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, because it occurs naturally in Guam, American Samoa, and a few other Pacific Island. In 2010, this was changed to protected *only* where it's a native, so the bird is fair game (at least as far as the feds are concerned).
R.