Wildlifeof Sumatra
Black-Backed Swamphen
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots/porphyrio_indicus_wikimedia.jpg)
Photo: Francesco Veronesi · CC BY-SA 2.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Porphyrio indicus
Also known as: Porphyrio porphyrio indicus
AviList (2026) treats this bird as a subspecies, Porphyrio porphyrio indicus, of the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), which is not listed separately on this site. IOC lists it as a separate species.
Basic stats
Habitat
Wetlands, preferring slow-flowing water
Range
Southeast Asia to Sulawesi and Borneo
The black-backed swamphen is a swamphen occurring from Southeast Asia to Sulawesi and Borneo. It used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen, which it resembles, but has a large shield, black upperparts and a blackish side of the head. It tends to move away from urbanisation and other human activity, and lives in wetlands, preferring those with slow-flowing water (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Black-Backed Swamphen live in?
- Wetlands, preferring slow-flowing water
- Where is the Black-Backed Swamphen found?
- Southeast Asia to Sulawesi and Borneo