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Species › Birds

Purple Swamphen

Porphyrio porphyrio

Order
Gruiformes
Family
Rallidae
Presence in the Strait
Resident
Abundance
scarce
Protection in Spain
Special protection (List)
In Spanish
Calamón común

Photograph: Carles Pastor, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist

Length
45–50 cm
Wingspan
90–100 cm
Weight
700–850 g
020406080100LENGTH45–50 cmWINGSPAN90–100 cmcentimetres

Presence in the Strait

Scarce resident in wet areas. Used to breed in La Janda, though very scarce. Later, in February and October 1987, new records were recorded in the area in Ceuta; and in November- December 1988 at the lagoon in Torreguadiaro, where the birds wintered in 1989. In 1991, a bird was seen in the River Guadiaro estuary in November and another record is reported of a ringed bird being seen at the lagoon of Medina (Jerez de la Frontera) on the 28.08.91 which was controlled in Los Barrios three days later. In the spring of 1992, another bird was seen at Marismas del Palmones. From then onwards, the species was regularly seen in the River Guadiaro estuary and the lagoon in Torreguadiaro. From 1995 to 1998, the species consolidated its colony and expanded to the region of La Janda.

Identification

Unmistakable because of its colouring, is the size of a hen.

Movements

Sedentary with dispersal.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Gallery

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.