purple swamphen

noun

: a large purplish-blue bird (Porphyrio porphyrio of the family Rallidae) that is native to warmer parts of the Old World and typically frequents wet areas and that has long red legs and a thick red bill

Spring rain has brought the purple swamphens to the region's roadsides. The bird, which looks like a purple chicken, darts along the side of the road waiting for an opportunity to cross.—

The Newcastle (Australia) Herald, 2 Nov. 2010

… out to kill exotic purple swamphens—colorful, nonnative birds that infest a network of stormwater treatment areas constructed by the South Florida Water Management District …—

Sue Cocking, The Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2010

called also purple gallinule

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of purple swamphen was in 1949

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Purple swamphen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purple%20swamphen. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

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