Purple gallinule Porphyrula martinica

Identification Tips:

• Length: 10.5 inches Wingspan: 21 inches
• Fairly large, duck-like waterbird with short wings and a short tail
• Very short, thick bill
• Frequently seen both swimming and walking
• Often flicks and cocks short tail while walking, exposing white undertail coverts
• Sexes similar

Adult:

• Red eyes
• Red bill with yellow tip
• Pale blue frontal shield above bill
• Yellow legs and feet
• Purple head, neck, breast and belly
• Green back and upperwings

Juvenile:

• Brownish eyes
• Dark olive or yellowish bill
• Buff brown head, neck and breast
• Olive-brown back
• Greenish upperwings
• Whitish belly and throat

Similar species:

In good light, adult is unmistakable, but can be distinguished from adult Common Moorhen by pale forehead shield and lack of white flank stripe. Immature could be confused with immature Common Moorhen but is much paler, especially about the head, and lacks the white flank stripe.

Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.