Purple Gallinule
Porphyrio martinica
Their exceptionally long, slender toes act like snowshoes, distributing their weight so they can walk across floating lily pads without sinking.
- Scientific name
- Porphyrio martinica
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Gruiformes › Rallidae › Porphyrio
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Freshwater marshes with dense floating vegetation, margins of lakes, and rice fields.
- Diet
- Omnivorous: consumes aquatic plant seeds, fruits, insects, snails, frogs, and occasionally the eggs of other water birds.
- Range
- Southeastern United States, Central America, Caribbean Islands, South America
- Size
- Length: 26-37 cm; Wingspan: 50-61 cm; Weight: 200-300g
- Lifespan
- 10-15 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland drainage, pesticide runoff, and invasive plant species that alter the structure of floating vegetation mats.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Maintain a respectful distance of at least 20 feet to avoid flushing the bird from its cover. Observe quietly; they are not aggressive toward humans and pose no physical threat.
This article is on the New-World purple gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus), not the Old-World purple gallinule, which is the western swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio).
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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