Purple Gallinule

There are 13 or more subspecies of the Purple Swamphen which differ mainly in the plumage colours. The subspecies groups are:

The Purple Gallinule is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The American Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) is a "swamp hen" in the rail family Rallidae. This medium-sized rail is unmistakable, with its huge yellow feet, purple-blue plumage with a green back, and red and yellow bill. It has a pale blue forehead shield and white undertail. Young birds are brown rather than purple. These gallinules will fly short distances with dangling legs. More

Purple Gallinule can be see walking on top of floating vegetation or clambering through dense shrubs. Its extremely long toes help it walk on lily pads without sinking. More

Purple GallinuleThe purple gallinule is a brightly colored marsh bird that is about the size of a chicken. It has blue and green feathers, long yellow legs, very long toes and a red bill with a yellow tip. Range Purple GallinuleThe purple gallinule can be found in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma. It winters on the Gulf Coast. It is also found in Central and South America and the West Indies. More

Purple Gallinule is an alternative name for two species of birds in the rail family. It can refer to: * Purple Swamphen, Porphyrio porphyrio of the Old World * American Purple Gallinule, Porphyrio martinica of the New World This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. More

* European gallinule, Porphyrio porphyrio — purple gallinule of southern Europe * American gallinule, Porphyrula martinica — American purple gallinule - ... More

Purple Gallinules of the Everglades = * 46 * Email * RSS * * Ranked #972 in Animals, #21,796 overall American Purple Gallinule - Gallinules are spectacular creatures. The can be found walking on water lilies in the canals throughout the Everglades. More

Trying to spot a Purple Gallinule is difficult if you don't know what to look for and where to find this chicken-like marsh bird. Here's how to spot this brightly colored, tropical bird. Difficulty: Moderately EasyInstructions 1. Step 1 Look for the Purple Gallinule in its preferred habitat and range. More

Adult male Purple Gallinule shows up in New England with a broken leg! (photo by Geoff Dennis)There are three photos on this page of an uncommon (and brightly colored!) visitor to New England, a Purple Gallinule. A resident of southern states such as Florida, the Purple Gallinule does not usually travel north beyond Delaware, even in summer. Nevertheless, this adult male was found in Massachusetts in 1998 and brought to us with a broken right femur (thigh). More

Purple Gallinule adult is a medium-sized bird, with stunning purple-blue plumage. Upperparts are glossy green, with upper wings glossy turquoise-blue. Underparts are glossy bluish-violet. White undertail coverts are triangle-shaped and conspicuous in all ages. Vent and thighs are blackish. Head is purplish-blue, with pale blue forehead shield. Bill is red with yellow tip. Eyes are red. Legs and huge feet are orange-yellow. Both sexes are similar. Juvenile is different. More

Purple Gallinule - near Macungie, Lehigh County on September 30 to October 15, 2006. Photo by Geoff Malosh. Lee Levengood found this immature bird in a retention pond along Scenic Drive. This photo shows the tan head and neck, the yellow legs, the white undertail coverts, and the irridescence on the wings. More photos of this bird can be found on Geoff Malosh's website. This bird represents the 1st record for Lehigh County. More

The Purple Gallinule is a constant resident in the United States, although peculiar to our southern districts, where I have met with it at all seasons. It is in the Floridas, the lower parts of Alabama, and among the broad marshes bordering the Gulf of Mexico, in Lower Louisiana, that I have observed its habits. Beyond the Carolinas eastward, it is only met with as an accidental straggler. More

The purple gallinule lives in freshwater marshes with aquatic vegetation like lily pads and pickerelweed. Diet The purple gallinule eats a wide variety of foods including frogs, grasshoppers, dragonflies, spiders and water plants. Life Cycle Purple GallinuleFemale purple gallinules lay six to ten eggs in a nest of dead tree stems and leaves. The nest is usually placed on a floating tussock, in a clump of sawgrass, or in a thicket. More

Purple Gallinule: Found in the south Atlantic and Gulf states, and casually as far northward as Maine, New York, Wisconsin, and south throughout the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America to Brazil. Preferred habitats include lakes, pools, waterways, and wet marshes. More

Purple Gallinule determination Similar species Rallidae Allens Gallinule | American Coot | Baillons Crake | Black Crake | Coot | Corn Crake | Crested Coot | Little Crake | Moorhen | Purple Gallinule | Purple Swamphen | Sora | Spotted Crake | Striped Crake | Water Rail | source: Pieter de Groot Boersma More

The purple gallinule is a beautiful waterbird with a metallic purple head, neck, breast and belly, a green back and upperwings. It has long, bright yellow legs for efficient wadding in shallow waters. Although its feet are not webbed, it has long, thin toes for running over floating vegetation. Its short wings only have a span of about 21 inches. It also has a brief tail that is often flicked and cocked to expose the white underfeathers. More

The purple gallinule of America (Porphyrula martinica), sometimes called water hen or sultana, is about 30 cm long and is bright olive green and purplish blue with a light blue shield, red and yellow bill, and yellow legs and feet. It is found from South Carolina and Texas to northern Argentina. A related species is the lesser purple gallinule (P. alleni), of Africa. The purple gallinule (Porphyrio porphyrio), sometimes called purple swamphen, is about 45 cm long. More

Swamphen (originally from Africa), the native Purple Gallinule shows the unique "candy corn" bi-colored beak and blue bill shield (above the beak) in adult plumage. The birds are both considerably smaller and slighter than the larger Swamphens as well. adult Purple Gallinule, digiscoped at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Florida 10/20/07 Note also the bright yellow legs on the adult Purple Gallinule adult above. More

On September 30th 2006, this immature Purple Gallinule was discovered in a retention pond near a housing developement just north of the town of Macungie, Lehigh County, PA by Lee Levengood. Although it has been seen previously in Pennsylvania, it is a Lehigh County record. It was last seen on October 12th, 2006. More

Behavior at Wakodahatchee: Purple Gallinules spend the majority of their time foraging for food. I have seen them feeding in pairs but they are almost always solitary. They can support themselves on top of lilly-pads because of their long toes. Whether feeding or resting they always stay close to cover and will often avoid prolonged observation. It is especially entertaining to watch them climbing the Fireflag blooms. More

Notes: The Purple Gallinule is a colorful summer resident of our marshes. Both males and females are a vivid purple and green with a bright red bill. Complementing their technicolor look are bright yellow legs, and white undertail coverts. Immatures, in sharp contrast, are dark brown with olive bills. Purple Gallinules are found in the same regions as Common Moorhens. Their youn look quite similar, but Common Moorhen youn have a white side stripe. More

● Foraging & Feeding: Purple Gallinule: Diet consists of invertebrates, frogs, aquatic vegetation, seeds, and berries; forages while walking along the shoreline, wading, and swimming. ● Breeding & nesting: Purple Gallinule: Five to ten pink or buff eggs marked with brown are laid in a nest made of dead stems and leaves, and built low above the water among dense rushes. Incubation ranges from 22 to 25 days. More

The Purple Gallinules are stoutly built birds, with a high and strong bill, and their remarkably long toes, which enable them to walk readily over the water plants, are frequently employed to hold the food, very much in the manner of a parrot, while eating. More

The Purple Gallinule is a common spring and summer breeding resident on the UTC. Adult birds are unmistakable. Bright purple bodies, a red bill with a yellow tip, and light blue face shield looks like nothing else. Purple Gallinule share habitat (fresh water marshes) with the Common Moorhen. In the late summer juveniles of both species will be present. Distinguish the juvenile Common Moorhen by its white side stripe. More

DESCRIPTION: The purple gallinule is a brightly colored marsh bird comparable in size to a chicken. The adult birds length is around 12 inches. Adults have green/olive backs and wings. The head, neck, breast and belly are an attractive blue/purple. The undertail coverts are white, eyes are red, and the beak is red with a yellow tip. The forehead is covered by a light blue shield. Feet and legs are bright yellow. The sexes are similar is coloration. More