…
Australasian Swamphen
Porphyrio melanotus
Birdstrong against fish, reptiles
Common
Swoop
While active with another bird in play, it hits 6 harder on its first attack after entering play (12 with two others).
30
34
Wikapialpha version
Australasian Swamphen
Porphyrio melanotus
Birdstrong against fish, reptiles
Common
While active with another bird in play, it hits 6 harder on its first attack after entering play (12 with two others).
Porphyrio melanotus
Photo: © Terra Occ (original photo) · CC BY 4.0 (licence text) · cropped
Strong against: it deals 20% more damage to them. Weak against: these types deal 20% more damage to it.
The Australasian swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus), commonly known as the pūkeko in New Zealand, is a striking and socially complex bird found in Oceania, including eastern Indonesia (the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands), Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia. A member of the rail family, it is part of the diverse order Gruiformes, which includes species with similar characteristics such as cranes and other rail species. Within the Australasian swamphen species, five recognised subspecies exist, with P. m. melanotus being the most common and widely distributed in New Zealand. They display phenotypic characteristics typical of rails: relatively short wings and strong, elongated bills, adapted to its semi-aquatic lifestyle in wetlands.
The swamphen is renowned for its distinctive blue-purple plumage, striking red frontal shield, and strong red legs. It is often found in swamps, marshes, and other wet lowland areas, though its habitat has expanded to include pastures, roadside verges, and farmland, due to significant landscape changes in New Zealand over the last 150 years. Unlike many other wetland birds, it is highly opportunistic and adaptable, thriving in both natural and human-modified environments. Its diet reflects this adaptability, consisting primarily of plant material such as grass stems, shoots, and leaves, but also including animal matter like invertebrates and, occasionally, the young of other bird species.
Abridged excerpt from the Wikipedia article Australasian swamphen, by its authors, under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
No global status on the IUCN Red List: that’s what makes this card Common.
Every Common card has 100 points, shared between HP, ATK and DEF:
How they’re shared out:
DEF 34