African Swamphen
Rondelvlei, Sedgefield, South Africa
The African Swamphen is a Sub-Saharan, largely sedentary species and common in some locations. It prefers fresh or brackish water, slow moving, reed lined rivers and marshes, swamps and wetlands.
Feeding
The African swamphen is an omnivore eating both plant matter and inverterbrates, amphibians, fish, birds' eggs and nestlings and carrion. It forages amongst aquatic vegetation in lakes, ponds and slow moving rivers.
Breeding
The African swamphen is monogamous. The female constructs the nest with material selected by the male. It is a bulky, shallow bed of bulrushes, reeds, grass and other water plants and sometimes lined with softer material. Between two and five eggs are incubated mainly by the female although the male will assist and there is sometime a third bird which acts as a helper. Both parents feed the chicks, again, sometimes assisted by other members of the species.
Wildfile Extra
Although not classified as threatened, the African swamphen population is believed to be decreasing due to habitat loss.
African Swamphen Eggs