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Porphyrio martinica
found this at brazos bend state park. I also spotted the babies. This medium-sized rail is unmistakable, with its huge yellow feet, purple-blue plumage with a green back, and red and yellow bill. It has a pale blue forehead shield and white undertail. Young birds are brown rather than purple. These gallinules will fly short distances with dangling legs. The nest is a floating structure in a marsh. Five to ten eggs are laid. Their coloration is buff with brown spots. The diet of these rails is omnivorous, being known to include a wide variety of plant and animal matter, including seeds, leaves and fruits of both aquatic and terrestrial plants, as well as insects, frogs, snails, spiders, earthworms and fish. They have also been known to eat the eggs and young of other birds.
this group is found at brazos bend state park, texas. Their breeding habitat is warm swamps and marshes in southeastern states of the United States and the tropical regions of Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. This species is resident in southern Florida and the tropics, but most American birds are migratory, wintering south to Argentina.
Family: Rallidae Genus: Porphyrio Species: P. martinica
I think these were taken later by another spotter of the same chicks I spotted so you can see how they have grown!
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/691...
Susan, I'd never seen one until I moved to Tasmania, and now I find that there are variations of purple swamphens all over the place.
Thanks Marta...there were three little chicks with its mom and I was lucky to witness them.