A name for several kinds of birds that live near water. This may include the marsh hen, swan, or even the horned owl.
The Revised Standard Version lists the water hen among unclean birds in Leviticus 11:18 and Deuteronomy 14:16. This is one of the hardest biblical birds to identify. Most Bible versions translate the Hebrew word as “white owl” or “barn owl.” The King James Version translates it “swan.” Most scholars think the swan is unlikely because it eats plants, not animals, and should not be called unclean. An owl is still a possible match.
The marsh hen is a kind of rail. Several rail species live in Israel. One of them is the purple gallinule (Porphyrio porphyrio).
Rails are thin water birds. They can be 15 to 51 centimeters (6 to 20 inches) long. They live in marshes and eat many kinds of animals and plants. This diet may be one reason some scholars think a bird like the marsh hen could match the unclean bird named in the Law of Moses.