Wildlifeof Singapore
Grey-headed Swamphen
Rallidae
Photo: (c) SIA, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Porphyrio poliocephalus
Also known as: Porphyrio porphyrio poliocephalus
AviList (2026) treats this bird as a subspecies, Porphyrio porphyrio poliocephalus, of the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), which is not listed separately on this site. IOC lists it as a separate species.
Basic stats
Habitat
Marshes and jheels
Range
Middle East and Indian subcontinent to southern China and northern Thailand
Size
43cm
The grey-headed swamphen is a large greyish-blue to greyish-purple wetland bird, 43 cm long, with a pale grey head, a stout red bill, greenish wings and red legs. It occurs in marshes and jheels from the Middle East and Indian subcontinent to southern China and northern Thailand. It was treated as a subspecies of the purple swamphen until 2015, when that complex was split into six species (Wikipedia, general species account).
The male has an elaborate courtship display, holding water weeds in his bill and bowing to the female with loud chuckles (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Grey-headed Swamphen live in?
- Marshes and jheels
- Where is the Grey-headed Swamphen found?
- Middle East and Indian subcontinent to southern China and northern Thailand
- How big is the Grey-headed Swamphen?
- 43cm