Purple Swamphen - Porphyrio porphyrio
A common bird with at least one couple occupying most swamps and tall reed-lined lakes around Australia. In Australia it is the largest of the Rails, standing around 48 cm (19") in height. It belongs to the rail group due to their stout bodies, short wings and tail, but longish legs with unwebbed feet. There is not too much the Swamphen will not eat that cannot fit into its large powerful beak, this includes small vertibrates, most invertibrates and plant matter particularly roots and tubers.
Nesting usually takes place amongst tall reeds when the area is flooded, but in dryer seasons, tall dense melaleuca trees are also used. They roost in similar locations, but making overnight platforms by bending the reeds like spokes of a wheel, again they only use this method when the area is flooded, so there would be around 30 cm (12") of water under them.
