DASHING SWAMPHEN
Chaos erupts at the shores edge as a dashing African Purple Swamphen takes off in pursuit of a potential meal.
Along the edge of the reed-strewn shoreline, a sudden burst of colour and movement shatters the quiet—a flash of iridescent blue and green as an African Purple Swamphen, known for its striking plumage and unmistakable red beak, makes a bold dash for its prey.
The swamphen, a wetland dweller found across Africa, has an almost preternatural stealth in its hunting routine. It had been pacing the water’s edge in silence, its oversized, clawed feet carefully navigating reeds and shallow grasses. Its movements were deliberate, each step calculated to minimise disturbance, pausing frequently to scan its surroundings with a keen, searching gaze. The bird’s heavy feet—perfect for walking across floating vegetation—pressed firmly into the mud, giving it a stable, assured gait that allowed it to remain mostly concealed from potential prey.
Suddenly, a ripple breaks across the still water, just beyond the reach of the reeds. It’s a subtle sign, but one that the swamphen has learned to recognize over countless hunts. Its head turns, red beak aimed sharply toward the disturbance, and for a split second, it freezes. Then, with a burst of energy, it propels itself forward, powerful legs splaying to maximise grip on the muddy terrain.
Today, it’s a hunt for anything the water might offer—a small fish, a frog, or perhaps an unsuspecting insect skimming the surface. In a rush of motion, it reaches the spot, its feathers glistening momentarily in the sunlight as it dips its beak into the water with precision, striking at the heart of the ripple.
For a few seconds, the water quiets again, and the swamphen raises its head, victorious.
The Dashing Swamphen
The African purple swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis), a striking bird with its bold red beak and shimmering blue-green feathers, is found across much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Egypt to Madagascar. Preferring freshwater and brackish wetlands, it inhabits ponds, slow-flowing rivers lined with reeds, marshes, and seasonally flooded swamps. In South Africa, its range spans most provinces, though it is notably absent from parts of Limpopo, the interior of the Eastern Cape, and the arid Northern Cape. Along the Cape coastlines, however, this bird is a familiar sight, its colourful plumage standing out amid the wetland vegetation.
Once considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen, the African swamphen is its own species. Compared to its close relatives, it exhibits a slightly different plumage—bronze-green or green-blue on its back and scapulars—making it well-camouflaged in the dense, reedy habitats it favours.
Though mostly sedentary, the African swamphen has been known to appear unexpectedly far from its usual range, with one recorded vagrant sighting as far as Israel in 2015. However, despite being locally common in parts of southern Africa, its population faces challenges due to habitat disturbance and wetland loss, though it is not currently considered at risk of extinction.
Omnivorous by nature, the African swamphen feeds on a variety of plant materials, often supplemented with invertebrates, small fish, frogs, and even the occasional bird egg or nestling. It forages with agility, using its large feet to navigate low, dense vegetation, where it bites off plant stems and digs beneath floating plants in search of hidden prey.
Feathered Friends Collection
Welcome to our feathered friends, with their flights of fancy, twitchers' delight, and the lightest touch.
Ever-present in our lives, birds fill the skies, settle in tree branches, and thrive on the ground. Their movements fill us with delight and awe, and their silence is broken by delightful songs or anxious craws. This collection celebrates these moments in time with our feathered friends.
Sony A1, Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS, FL: 576mm, S: 1/2000s, A: F7.1, ISO: 640.
