This buff-colored juvenile Purple Gallinule with the wet head feathers is enjoying his freshwater environment of pickerelweed and other aquatic vegetation. He’s just beginning to show the Purple Gallinule‘s characteristic blue shield above his beak, and a faint bluish hue is beginning to appear in his wing feathers.
Before long our young bird will begin to show the iridescent bluish-purple plumage and candy-corn red and yellow beak of a more mature Purple Gallinule.
As an adult, the Purple Gallinule is one of the most vividly colored birds in all of North America. I LOVE the way that All About Birds further describes this marvelous member of the Rail family:
“Purple Gallinules combine cherry red, sky blue, moss green, aquamarine, indigo, violet, and school-bus yellow, a color palette that blends surprisingly well with tropical and subtropical wetlands.”
Birder's Journey 
🌿 In the realm of freshwater so fine, 💧 A buff-colored youth in the sunshine. ☀️ Purple Gallinule, young and fair, 🐤 With head feathers wet, he’s quite a rare.
The characteristic blue shield starts to gleam, 🛡️ In his wing feathers, a faint, blue dream. 🦋 Soon, iridescence will grace his plumage so dear, 🌈 A candy-corn beak will make it clear. 🌽
Mature Purple Gallinule, a vibrant sight, 🦚 In North America, a colorful delight. 🌍 A palette that’s bold, with hues so grand, 🎨 Cherry red, aquamarine, a tropical strand. 🏝️
All About Birds, with words so sweet, 📖 Describes this bird, a colorful treat. 📚 In tropical wetlands, where they reside, 🌊 Their beauty, a source of endless pride. 🤩
So as the Purple Gallinule grows and thrives, 🌱 In the world of nature, where wonder derives. 🌄 From buff to brilliance, their journey unfolds, 🚀 A symbol of beauty, in wetlands, they’re told. 🌾
🌿💧☀️🐤🛡️🦋🌈🌽🦚🌍🎨🏝️📖📚🌊🤩🌱🌄🚀🌾
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I always admire your poetry and I wish you would create your own blog to share it with more people.
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Great suggestion, Tanja!
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Love this special ode to the Purple Gallinule, Yishai! I agree with Tanja!☺️
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Such lovely birds. I hope the young gallinule will grow up and have some offspring of its own.
I have often admire the lyrical descriptions on Cornell, and the examples you listed is no exception.
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Yes, this one from the All About Birds PG description is especially terrific!
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How cool to see one so young and then compare it to the adults. They’re so cool looking. I call them the candy corn bird too.
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Thanks for stopping by Deborah! Yes, the modest juveniles really do come into their own in all their glory as adults, don’t they?!😉
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They do.
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Fascinating to see how the colouring of this bird’s feathers changes. They become very beautiful.
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Agreed, Ann, they are one of the most striking of the wetland birds we see here!
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These birds are so beautiful and so much fun to watch! Glad you have the chance to hang out with them!
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Thank you for your visit, Kathy! They are so special, but I fear that we are seeing fewer of them in the past couple of years. Hope it’s just my imagination.😌
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The gallinule has long, bright yellow legs and feet. This makes it look particularly striking as it walks over water plants. Your photographs bring out this feature.
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So true, Michael!! Though I think some of my older Purple Gallinule posts show those great yellow legs and feet much better[like this one]~ ☺️https://birdersjourney.com/2017/02/08/11837/
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Those are some gams!! Thanks for the link.
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☺️My pleasure!
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Nice illustration of the maturing Gallinule. They’re just so colorful when they grow up.
Lovely photographs. One of our favorite birds.
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Definitely one of my favorites also, Wally! Are you by any chance seeing fewer PG‘s in your area lately than a few years ago?
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Defintely the opposite. Surveys over the past four years in Polk County show a steady increase in PG population.
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Super! Glad to know – hopefully I’m just imagining it here in Palm Beach County!😌
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That is an excellent description from AAB, and you captured it all. It’s always fun to see these beauties. The young one is cute and the way you captured those crazy looking feet through the water in your second image is a bonus!
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Thanks so much, Ellen!
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