South-west Pacific Swamphen
Porphyrio melanotus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderGruiformes (Cranes, Rails, and Allies)
- FamilyRallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots)
- GenusPorphyrio (Swamphens and Blue Gallinules)
- SpeciesPorphyrio melanotus (South-west Pacific Swamphen)
The Australasian swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus), commonly known as the pūkeko in New Zealand, is a striking and socially complex bird found in Oceania, including eastern Indonesia (the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands), Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia. A member of the rail family, it is part of the diverse order Gruiformes, which includes species with similar characteristics such as cranes and other rail species. Within the Australasian swamphen species, five recognised subspecies exist, with P. m. melanotus being the most common and widely distributed in New Zealand. They display phenotypic characteristics typical of rails: relatively short wings and strong, elongated bills, adapted to its semi-aquatic lifestyle in wetlands. The swamphen is renowned for its distinctive blue-purple plumage, striking red frontal shield, and strong red legs. Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a South-west Pacific Swamphen sighting in Daintree National Park, based on 96 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Aoraki Mount Cook National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 9 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 10 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 11 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Tongariro National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 13 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Lorentz National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 16 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 18 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 19 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a South-west Pacific Swamphen in Daintree National Park?
About 5% of wildlife watchers report a South-west Pacific Swamphen sighting in Daintree National Park, based on 96 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see South-west Pacific Swamphen in Daintree National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for South-west Pacific Swamphen in Daintree National Park in our monthly data.