I noticed some rustling amidst the leafy tree branches on my walk this morning and stopped for a closer look. Sure enough, a juvenile Purple Gallinule was peeking out from a tree right next to the boardwalk. His soft, brown plumage and the subtle blue shield above his beak are distinctive characteristics which distinguish this […]
Tag Archives: Purple Gallinule
The irresistible, iridescent Purple Gallinule was one of the first wetland birds I got to know after moving to Florida. Still a favorite!! 🩵💜
I loved watching this juvenile Purple Gallinule making his way independently through the marsh. Looks like he’s just learning the ropes. ☺️ But how do we know this a Purple Gallinule, and how can we tell it’s a juvenile? Several unique features make it unmistakable: long, bright yellow “chicken legs”, a distinctive red and yellow […]
These Purple Gallinules were literally up to their knees in Water Lettuce, a troublesome invasive exotic plant (FWC), earlier this season. The Purple Gallinule “readily accepts weedy conditions brought on by eutrophication and feeds on exotic weeds such as water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata).” (Birds of the World). I’m watching to see […]
This beautiful iridescent bird is one of my favorites, and its colors really popped as I walked by on a recent sunny day! “Clearly the most colorful of our rails, the Purple Gallinule is among the most gaudy breeding birds in North America.” (Birds of the World) [Personally, I don’t think ‘gaudy’ is the best […]
As you can see on the All About Birds PG Range Map, “Most of the Purple Gallinules that breed in the U.S. migrate as far as Central America for the winter, but some remain in Florida year-round.” They can also be found year-round throughout much of South America – see more info about this stunning […]
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 […]
My history of previous Purple Gallinule posts seems to show there was more Purple Gallinule activity during the winter and early spring in the past. This year I must not have been paying attention! So happy to see some of these beauties are still popping up in the marsh now and again so I can […]
I spotted these two sweet, young adult Purple Gallinules the other day. . . . more colorful than their younger juvenile peers, but not yet as brilliant as they will be in their full adult colors. See this All ABout Birds comparison for more.
I love this quote from author Jonathan Rosen’s wonderful book, Life of the Skies . . .! “Everyone is a birdwatcher, but there are two kinds of birdwatchers: those who know what they are and those who haven’t realized it yet.”
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