Porphyrio martinica
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
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".
The purple gallinule is a medium-sized rail, measuring 26–37 cm (10–15 in) in length, spanning 50–61 cm (20–24 in) across the wings and weighing 141–305 g (5.0–10.8 oz). Males, averaging 257 g (9.1 oz) in mass, are slightly larger than females, at 215 g (7.6 oz) on average. An adult purple gallinule has purple-blue plumage that will shine green and turquoise when in good lighting. Adults also have a pale blue shield on their forehead, which connects with the red and yellow bill. Darkness or low light can dim the bright purple-blue plumage of the adult to make them look dusky or brownish, although the forehead shield color differentiates them from similar species such as common gallinules. Immature purple gallinules are a brown-bronze color, with purple feathers on chest, and the bill and... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 6 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 8 | Maracaibo | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 9 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque das Aves | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Mangal das Garças | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Parque Zoológico Miguel Ángel de Quevedo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Parque Zoobotânico Orquidário Municipal de Santos | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Parque museo La Venta | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Wiwa Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an American Purple Gallinule sighting in Soberanía National Park on a given day, based on 4,100 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 38th most-seen of the 449 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December–July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report an American Purple Gallinule in Soberanía National Park on a given day, against about 30% in August–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Purple Gallinule sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 47 parks where we can rate American Purple Gallinule sightings, Soberanía National Park ranks 4th at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Palo Verde National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%), Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 40%) and Biotopo Cerro Cahuí (Guatemala, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Rallidae
The closest relatives of the American Purple Gallinule that you can see in Soberanía National Park (family Rallidae, Rails, Gallinules, and Coots) are White-throated Crake (about 20%), Common Moorhen (about 10%) and Gray-cowled Wood-Rail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Purple Gallinule is recorded against all the birds logged in Soberanía National Park (4,100 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
