The Purple Swamp Hen, also called the Purple Moorhen or Purple Gallinule, is normally found on the edges of water bodies poking among reeds. Their long red legs and very long toes make walking on water plants and reeds practically effortless. Their purple – blue coloured bodies, lend them their name.

Purple Swamp Hen, Kabini

The species apes all the mannerisms and habits of waterfowl, from the legendary head and tail jerking while moving forward, to the stretched legs during flight. The bird can fly long distances although its dangling legs make it appear rather ungainly in the air. This bird has a raucous, noisy screech with softer clucking when feeding.

Soft shoots, frogs, and snails are the regular diet of this omnivorous bird, while it’s known to steal the eggs of ducks, cranes, egrets and coots. Spotted in small groups, they remain in one another’s company for the better part of their lives. All ‘clan’ members contribute their efforts in incubating and rearing their little ones.

The courtship display of this bird is legendary, where the male bows to the female, holding soft strands of reeds in his bill! .

The nest building ritual is an event in itself, where the couple choose a spot in the reed bed, trample on it systematically in a circular manner at a platform above the water level. These ‘communal’ nests then hold a clutch of eggs, while the community takes care to incubate them. The eggs can easily be mistaken for stones, not only being speckled, but also pale, resembling a pile of stones. The little chicks that emerge from them are fed by the ‘community’ for 10 to 14 days before they begin fending for themselves.

At Orange County, Kabini, the Purple Swamp Hen is often spotted along the edges of the boat jetty and the vast expanse of the shoreline overlooking the library.

Sauntering around Kabini?

Rajan Kanagasabai

An ardent Environmentalist and an avid wildlife Photographer, Rajan is a prominent member of leading Environmental, Wildlife and Photography organizations. His works have been featured on several travel magazines. A frequent visitor to Orange County, Kabini and Coorg, Rajan specializes in Wildlife and Bird Photography. Possessing over 23 years of experience working in the IT Industry, Rajan holds a senior management position at one of India's top IT companies. Rajan has reviewed a number of global resorts for several leading travel journals and blogs and is also a Destination Expert for the renowned Trip Advisor travel forum.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 14th, 2012 at 5:04 pm and is filed under Birds, Destinations, Nature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.