Abstract

This short paper summarises the taxonomic history, distribution and status of the ‘Purple Swamphen’ complex. It documents all the British records of swamphens assessed by the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC) and the British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (BOURC). A Western Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio seen in Suffolk, and then Lincolnshire, in 2016 has been added to Category A of the British List.