CLASS AVES

Purple Gallinule

Animals Kingdom (Animalia)

• Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

• Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

• Birds (Class Aves)

The purple gallinule, known as the waterman or the blue waterfowl, is distinguishable by its bright purplish blue head and underbody and long bright yellow legs with large elongated toes used to walk steadily on floating swamp plants. Purple gallinules are inhabitants of tropical fresh water lowlands such as marshes, lagoons, ponds, rice fields and overgrown swamps (Henderson, 2010) where there is an abundance of emergent aquatic flora. Their diet is made of mainly vegetation and small invertebrates drifting in or on the water and floating plants.