A carnivorous, invasive bird?

Groups ponder fate of bird with a fowl reputation

By Andrew Marra

The purple swamphen looks positively chicken-esque as it stalks through the marsh: feathered, feckless and full of wide-eyed chicken innocence.But is it fowl or foe?

Maybe both, experts say. The exotic bird, which is quickly gaining prominence in Palm Beach County wetlands, has some environmentalists worrying about its international reputation for eating bird eggs and ducklings.

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