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Porphyrio martinica
American Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) foraging a water plant flower at Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park, Florida. The Gallinule, after plucking the flower from the water, carried it into the underbrush.
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.........)
2 Comments
Beautiful series! Your photos are making me want to visit the everglades, has been many years since I have been there..
What time of the day was this? I love the light in the photos. Beautiful birds! By the way your map marker is way west of Anhinga Trail. If you follow the road into the park from Florida City (going west) Anhinga is the very first left (south on the map) turn.