Purple Gallinule

Purple Gallinule, adult

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Purple Gallinule, juvenile

Purple Gallinule, adult swimming

Purple Gallinule, adult, perched

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Other Names
4. Cool Facts
5. Full detailed species account

A beautifully colored bird of southern and tropical wetlands, the 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.

Description

• Swims on surface of water like a duck and walks on floating plants rather like a chicken.
• Dark purple head, neck, and underside.
• Green back.
• Red bill tipped with yellow.
• Light blue forehead.
• Bill triangular like a chicken's, not flat like a duck's.
• Legs yellow.

• Size: 37-36 cm (15-14 in)
• Wingspan: 55 cm (22 in)
• Weight: 208-288 g (7.34-10.17 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, but male is slightly larger.

Sound

Cackling or clucking, and guttural notes.

Other Names

Talève violacée, Gallinule violacée (French)
Gallineta morada (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Purple Gallinue is essentially a tropical marshbird that just makes its way into the United States. But some go even farther afield. The Purple Gallinule, despite appearing to be an awkward flier, regularly turns up in northern states and southen Canada. It has even been found numerous times in Europe and South Africa.

Sources used to construct this page:

West, R. L., and G. K. Hess. 2002. Purple Gallinule (Porphyrula martinica). In The Birds of North America, No. 626 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.