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Porphyrio martinica
American Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) foraging on Fire Flag or Alligator Flag (Thalia geniculata) plants. This bird was kind enough to offer various poses that showed off its anatomy and coloration in detail. << The American Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) is a "swamp hen" in the rail family Rallidae. A medium-sized rail (33 centimetres (13 in) in length) with big yellow feet, purple-blue plumage with a green back, and red and yellow bill. It has a pale blue forehead shield and white undertail. >>
Wetlands: Green Cay Wetlands, Boynton Beach, Florida.
The American Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) is a "swamp hen" in the rail family Rallidae. A medium-sized rail (33 centimetres (13 in) in length) with big yellow feet, purple-blue plumage with a green back, and red and yellow bill. It has a pale blue forehead shield and white undertail. Juveniles are brown overall with a brownish olive back. 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. 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. (credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pu.........)
9 Comments
staccyh,
Thank you very much...
Purple Gallinules are among my favorites... I love these guys for their great color, unique physiology, and interesting behaviors...
Love these birds. Great photos!
Liam,
Thanks... I don't use a TC now, but I plan to when I can get the new Canon Mod. III 1.4x and 2x TCs. This Purple Gallinule and other birds at Green Cay are wild, but are "people acclimated." They see humans every day and know we are "tame" and non-predatory so they will allow reasonable approaches. I was about 20 feet from the PG, but my friend was within 10 feet. The exceptions are the migrants and those that are naturally reclusive. This is true of all the Florida birding venues where I shoot.
Nice! Do you use a teleconverter at all? Or are the birds very tame? On my visit to Florida a few years ago, all the birds were very accommodating.
Brandon, Liam, Neil, Ava -
Thank you all very much!
Brandon, Agreed the talons are impressive. Its big feet allow it to both climb water plants and walk across lily pads.
Liam, I'm shooting a Canon 40D, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. The lens is new; an upgrade for me that's much better than the Mod. I.
Wonderful series!
What a great spotting for Project Noah!
Gorgeous!! What camera/lens do you use? These are fantastic!
Great Spotting! (quite the set of talons on this bird)!