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Black-tailed Native-hen (Tribonyx ventralis) Alternate name(s): "Black-tailed Water-hen", "Black-tailed Gallinule", "Barcoo Bantam", "Swamphen*" Aboriginal name(s): "gulbuwi" [yuwaalaraay]; "ngalyan", "belgarbedjal" (WA) Size: 32-38 cm Body mass: 350-430 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Black-tailed Native-hens are medium-sized waterhens. Their plumage is partly grey (head, neck, breast), brownish grey at the back (mantle, wings) and black (belly, vent, tail). They have a small number of white flank spots. The only minute difference between the sexes is that males have a somewhat darker face than females. Both sexes have pale irises. The bill is yellowish-green, with an orange base to the lower mandible. Legs and feet are bright orange. Black-tailed Native-hens have an upright tail, similar to an Australian Brush-turkey's. Twitcher's tip Compared to Tasmanian Native-hens, Black-tailed Native-hens have more conspicuous orange legs and a longer tail.

Taxonomy, classification See Black-tailed Native-hen at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Black-tailed Native-hen is available HERE . Black-tailed Native-hens are endemic to Australia. Their distribution across the Australian continent is complex and highly variable, depending on climatic conditions. They occur mostly in the semi-arid interior of the continent (the Murray-Darling Basin, the Lake Eyre Basin, the eastern half of SA and the southern half of QLD), but are not found in the most arid part of the continent, i.e. the sandy deserts from the Nullarbor to the Kimberley. They occur in WA along the West and South coast (with the exception of the extreme south-western tip) and along the Fitzroy River. They are not found along the Top End (NT, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York peninsula), the East coast and the Great Dividing Range of the continent. Black-tailed Native-hens can be found in and around swamps and marshes and in ephemeral wetlands, especially in mudflats, often surrounded by tall reeds and lignum. Where to look? How to find this species? Black-tailed Native-hens are very well adapted to life in semi-arid environments and they need very little. Peace and quiet and a single lawn sprinkler, or a persistent puddlie of water, can keep a covey in place in an otherwise parched landscape (as observed by us at the camp ground of the - at the time closed - Burren Junction Bore Bath, Burren Junction, NSW). But when the water is gone, they will disappear.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Black-tailed Native-hens were first spotted by us around a semi-permanent waterhole 20 km South of Narrabri, in 2006, where a few of them stayed until it dried up. Since then, they are found by us semi-regularly in both permanent and ephemeral wetlands in inland NSW. Often they are seen around lakes, but also around dams and in swamps. There were plenty of Black-tailed Native-hens at Macquarie Marshes NR in April 2011, many of them foraging along Gibson's Way, right by the road side. The largest number of Black-tailed Native-hens we have seen so far (an estimated 500 or more) was at Lake Altiboulka, a shallow ephemeral lake about 95 km East of Tibooburra, NSW, in September 2012. J. Greaves reports spotting Black-tailed Native-hens at Loch McNess, Yanchep NP, 55 km North of Perth, WA, in January 2015. M. Eaton reports finding Black-tailed Native-hens at Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, in September 2017. In July 2026, M. Eaton found Black-tailed Native-hens breeding in an ephemeral wetland along the Diamantina Development Road, near Cuttaburra Crossing, QLD. R. Plumtreefound Black-tailed Native-hens at the Montecollina bore, off the Strzelecki Track, SA, in November 2018, and at Lake Cullens, VIC, in December 2018. M. Windeyer reports spotting Australian Spotted Crakes in an ephemeral wetland 20 km West of Gilgandra, NSW, in October 2020, where they were found building a nest at the time.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
In Black-tailed Native-hens the male, left, has more colour contrast on head, neck and body (front vs. back) than the female.

Lateral view of a pair of Black-tailed Native-hens walking across a mudflat; male in front
[Lake Altiboulka, NSW, September 2012]

Lateral view of 4 Black-tailed Native-hens; the birds at left and right may be males, the two in between females
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, February 2019]

MALE

Lateral view of a male Black-tailed Native-hen; note the dark head/face (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, March 2021]

Lateral view of a male Black-tailed Native-hen with its tail erect
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, December 2015]

Lateral view of a male(?) Black-tailed Native-hen; when not excited or wary, the tail usually stays down
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, December 2015]

Lateral view of a male Black-tailed Native-hen (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Loch McNess, Yanchep NP, near Perth, WA, January 2015]

Dorsal view of a male(?) Black-tailed Native-hen (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Loch McNess, Yanchep NP, near Perth, WA, January 2015]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female Black-tailed Native-hen (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Diamantina Development Road, near Cuttaburra Crossing, QLD, July 2026]

Lateral view of a female Black-tailed Native-hen (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Lake Cullens, VIC, December 2018]

Lateral view of a female(?) Black-tailed Native-hen feeding in the shallow water of a mudflat; note the dull colours of the face/head
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, April 2011]

Lateral view of a female(?) Black-tailed Native-hen in sunny conditions
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, April 2011]

Here the same female(?) Black-tailed Native-hen as above, now in a shady area
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, April 2011]

Near-dorsal view of a female Black-tailed Native-hen (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Diamantina Development Road, near Cuttaburra Crossing, QLD, July 2026]

Dorsal view of a female(?) Black-tailed Native-hen keeping an eye on the observer
[Lake Altiboulka, NSW, September 2012]

Sex unknown

Black-tailed Native-hens foraging in shallow water (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, September 2018]

Black-tailed Native-hens dashing for cover (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, October 2011]

Lateral view of a mob of Black-tailed Native-hens trekking across a stubble field
[Near Walgett, NSW, June 2012]

Near-dorsal view of two Black-tailed Native-hens
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, April 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a Black-tailed Native-hen
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, February 2019]

Dorsal view of a Black-tailed Native-hen
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, February 2019]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Native-hen in low flight above water
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, December 2015]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Black-tailed Native-hen; note the inconspicuous colours of the bill
[Near Walgett, NSW, June 2012]

Near-lateral/lateral view of two juvenile Black-tailed Native-hens foraging in a roadside ditch; note the absence of white spots on the flanks
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, April 2011]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Black-tailed Native-hen in flight
[Near Walgett, NSW, June 2012]

Near-frontal view of a female Black-tailed Native-hen with a chick (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Diamantina Development Road, near Cuttaburra Crossing, QLD, July 2026]

Lateral view of a female Black-tailed Native-hen with a chick (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Diamantina Development Road, near Cuttaburra Crossing, QLD, July 2026]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Native-hen chick looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Diamantina Development Road, near Cuttaburra Crossing, QLD, July 2026]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Native-hen chick (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Diamantina Development Road, near Cuttaburra Crossing, QLD, July 2026]

Male Black-tailed Native-hen with three chicks (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[20 km West of Gilgandra, NSW, October 2020]

Lateral view of Black-tailed Native-hen chicks (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[20 km West of Gilgandra, NSW, October 2020]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Dispersive/irruptive

Elementary unit: Clan/flock

Black-tailed Native-hens usually prefer to evade potential predators by scurrying away into cover, but they are perfectly capable of flight.

Lateral view of Black-tailed Native-hens making their way into denser cover to evade the observer
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, December 2015]

Food, Diet

Black-tailed Native-hens have a varied diet of both plant material and small animals.

Group of Black-tailed Native-hens foraging in submerged grassland (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, March 2021]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Black-tailed Native-hens are usually silent, except when disturbed.

bltnhen_20151222.mp3

(NW NSW)

Warning calls

© MD

More Australian (Purple) Swamphen sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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