North GroundHuntNorth Ground Hunt — return to North Ground
Species authority page

Purple gallinule

Porphyrio martinicus · Rails gallinules and coots · Migratory game birds

Purple gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus): 11-14.5 in; adult mostly purple and green with a pale blue frontal shield above a red-and-yellow bill. Bright yellow legs and long toes; white undertail coverts. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the purple gallinule map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Close-up of a purple gallinule's head and neck
Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
Scientific name
Porphyrio martinicus
Family
Rallidae
Range
Breeds in the southeastern United States and Texas and withdraws in winter mostly to southern Florida; strays wander north as far as Canada at any season.
Biology

How to identify it

11-14.5 in; adult mostly purple and green with a pale blue frontal shield above a red-and-yellow bill. [1]

Bright yellow legs and long toes; white undertail coverts. [1]

Immature much plainer, buff-brown and olive; note bill shape and white undertail. [1]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Purple gallinule from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Extensive fresh wetlands with still or slow shallow water, dense marsh cover and floating vegetation such as lily pads. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Walks on lily pads, runs on open shorelines and clambers through marsh vegetation and waterside trees, flicking its short tail. [1]

Nods its head as it swims; flies short distances with legs dangling. [1]

Omnivorous: seeds, fruits and leaves plus insects, frogs, snails and fish; sometimes eggs and young of other birds. [1]

Noisy: squawks, cackles and grunts. [1]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Breeds in the southeastern United States and Texas and withdraws in winter mostly to southern Florida; strays wander north as far as Canada at any season.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Audubon Society