3. (noun) pūkeko, purple swamp hen, Porphyrio porphyrio - a deep blue-coloured bird with a black head and upperparts, a white undertail and a scarlet bill that inhabits wetlands, estuaries and damp pasture areas.
(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 166;)
He manu hauwarea noa te pākura (pūkeko ki ētahi) (TTT 1/9/1927:657). / The swamp hen (called a pūkeko by some) is a lean bird.
Synonyms: tangata tawhito, pākura