Pukeko or Purple Swamp Hen at the Hillview Community Reserve wetlands in Dromana.
Even though they swim, they prefer to wander the edges of water!
The tail flicks quickly as it walks revealing this burst of white.
The legs seem rather long and thick for the size of the bird.
In flight, these legs trail behind.
Linking to:
NatureFootstep Winged
Wild Bird Wednesday
Bird D'Pot
17 comments:
a gorgeous bird from the ehn family. Looks a little like the ones I know. :)
Interesting bird. The legs look really strong.
Lovely bird, totaly new for me!
lovely, charming and odd all at the same time. :)
Great first shot!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
That is one amazing bird!! Close to our moorhen, but still different. Great set of photos Gemma.
ps...by the way, I've been meaning to ask you forever and keep forgetting to do so. I would like to know if your name is pronounced with a soft 'g' as in gem or a hard 'g' like in goat?!!!
I have never seen these before. How interesting!
Purple Swamphens were released into the Florida ecosystem very near our present home, back in the 1990s. They have spread widely and are said to displace and even kill the native gallinules/moorhens. A vigorous eradication campaign was unsuccessful.
Great photos and I like them being called Pukeko - much nicer than just Purple Swamp Hen!
Interesting post! As Ken noted, they're in danger of becoming a nuisance bird here in Florida.
They are cool looking birds, great photos. Thanks for sharing!
Lovely! For me it is a new bird today!
I noticed the thickness of the legs right away.
Nice captures Gemma!
Nice photos, the bird looks a lot like our eurasian coot.
Greetings Pia
Those are powerful-looking legs.
I always like these birds - even if they do throw their weight about a bit!
Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW
Stewart M - Melbourne
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