Australasian Swamphen: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Cranes and Marsh Birds · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. A swamphen shows its rank with the red shield on its forehead: the bigger the shield, the higher the bird's status.
2. Swamphens often live in groups of three to nine. Everyone helps guard the territory, build the nest and raise the chicks.
3. More than one female may lay in the same shared nest. Each one's eggs differ in colour and size, so they can be told apart.
4. About a month before laying, males build "trial" nests. In the end, one of them is picked for the eggs.
5. Their big feet let them cross soggy swamps without sinking. The toes are not webbed, yet they push well enough to swim.

The quiz

1. What does a big red forehead shield tell other swamphens?

• That the bird is sick
• That the bird is very young
• That the bird has high status (correct)
• That the bird is lost

Larger shields signal higher social rank.

2. Who helps raise swamphen chicks in a group?

• Only the mother
• All the group members (correct)
• Only the father
• Nobody, chicks raise themselves

All members of the group take part in nesting and chick rearing.

3. When several females share a nest, how do their eggs differ?

• In colour and size (correct)
• They are exactly the same
• They are never laid in the same nest
• One set is buried in mud

Each female's eggs have their own colour and size.

4. What do male swamphens build before the eggs are laid?

• A burrow underground
• A floating raft of shells
• A dome of mud on a cliff
• Several "trial" nests (correct)

Males build trial nests, and one is later chosen for laying.

5. What helps swamphens walk on swampy ground?

• Webbed feet like a duck
• Their large feet (correct)
• Their short, stiff tail
• Hooks on their wings

Their large, unwebbed feet stop them from sinking.

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