AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy →

Verified source photographJudy GallagherCC-BY-SA · View source ↗

PRB-0080Gruiformes

Purple Gallinule

Gallareta Azul

Porphyrio martinica

Native / natural occurrenceIUCN LC · Least Concern

The purple gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) is a species of swamphen found in the Americas. It is in the order Gruiformes, meaning "crane-like", an order which also contains cranes, rails, and crakes. The purple gallinule is a rail species, placing it into the family Rallidae. It is also known locally as the yellow-legged gallinule. The specific name martinica denotes "of Martinique".

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FamilyRallidaeRails, Gallinules, and Coots

Puerto Rico occurrenceNative / natural occurrenceAvibase inferred core 380

Primary habitatwetlandsWetland

Primary dietHerbivoreHerbivore aquatic

Average mass239.5666666666667 gGlobal trait estimate

MovementPartial migrantTerrestrial

Sound archive

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XC941308Recording 1 of 3call, wing sounds

SpectrogramPorphyrio martinica

0:000:13

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Sound recorded by Sue Riffe · XC941308 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF ↗

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Purple Gallinule

This atlas includes Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) with atlas status “Native / natural occurrence” within scope “Avibase inferred core 380.” Global trait data associate it primarily with wetland; consult the linked records to resolve its Puerto Rico habitat use.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN: LC
Puerto Rico DNER: No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA: No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat: Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat: wetlands
Elevation: 0–4080 m
Nest: Cup / bowl · Water
Clutch: 3–8 eggs
Social behavior: Pairs / family groups

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Keep exploring

This bird belongs to 4 paths through the atlas.

The complete catalogAll Birds of Puerto Rico402 birds →Birds by habitatWetland Birds116 birds →ConservationLeast Concern Birds328 birds →Bird familyRails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae)9 birds →

Guides featuring this bird

Follow this record beyond the profile.

Identification, sound, place, and explanatory guides connecting this species to larger questions.

01IdentificationPurple Gallinule vs Common GallinuleOpen guide ↗02Wetland field ethicsHow to watch birds in wetlands without disturbing themOpen guide ↗03Rails of marsh and mangroveGallinules, coots, and rails of Puerto RicoOpen guide ↗04Marsh voicesGallinule and Rail Sounds in Puerto Rico: Marsh VoicesOpen guide ↗05Identify by colorBlue birdsOpen guide ↗

See all related guides (1)

Birds of Caño Tiburones

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading

eBird species profile↗Macaulay Library media↗iNaturalist observations↗GBIF occurrence data↗BirdLife species factsheet↗Xeno-canto recordings↗Wikipedia in English↗Wikipedia en Español↗Media source · inaturalist.org↗Source record 1↗Source record 2↗Source record 3↗

Research note: Wikipedia uses Porphyrio martinicus; normalized to current taxonomy Porphyrio martinica.