Grey-headed Swamphen | Neela Kozhi | Purple Swamphen | Birds In Malayalam | Wildlife | Bird Kerala

Grey-headed Swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus) is a species of swamphen occurring in wetlands of Kerala, India. In Malayalam vernacular, the bird is called as “ Neela Kozhy”.
Recently, the erstwhile Purple Swamphen was split into six species, the one found in India being called Grey-headed Swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus ). Earlier, the bird was treated as a subspecies of the Purple Swamphen, but was elevated to full species status in 2015. In Kerala, the bird is found usually in small groups in wetlands, marshy, vegetated freshwater bodies such as swamps, ponds, and lakes, usually in small groups.
Grey-headed Swamphen is a very large bluish-purple bird with a grey head, red bill and red forehead shield. The legs and feet are red with long toes. The short tail is often flicked up, revealing fluffy white under tail. Juveniles are duller than adults and lack the red bill and shield. The male exhibits an elaborate courtship display, holding water weeds in its bill and bowing to the female with loud chuckles.
The birds feed often clumsily, at muddy water edges, in reeds, and on floating vegetation, and also often feed on paddy fields posing problems to the farmers. They make short nasal grunts and croaking sounds.
The bird is distributed in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
In IUCN Red List, the bird is included under ‘Least Concern’.