(Please see picture gallery below – if you have any pix please send to sheilaelliot@yahoo.com)

February Bird of the Month – Purple Gallinule 

From Ben Kolstad’s article in the February Kite: “

This month’s bird is one of the stars of our local wetland areas. It’s always fun to see this colorful rail (yes, gallinules are rails) climbing adroitly up a fireflag plant to strip the eeds from the uniquely zigzag “knees” of the stems (the plant’s specific epithet,geniculata, means “knee-shaped”). Porphyrio martinicus is fairly closely related to last month’s BoTM, the newly renamed Gallinula galeata; although it is not in the same genus, the shape, behavior, and habitat are similar. But while Common Gallinules are frequently found swimming, Purple Gallinules appear to prefer climbing on emergent vegetation like spatterdock or fire flag (they can swim, of course, but like Bartleby the scrivener, they seem to prefer not to).

Although the common name implies that this bird is purple, it’s not purple all over like the male Purple Martin. It does have a dark purple head, neck, and underside, but you’re at least as likely to notice its other colors: its green back, yellow-tipped red bill, bright blue facial shield, and white undertail coverts (Common Gallinule has two “tail lights”; Purple has one). Males and females are similar.”

Come to our February meeting to hear more about this fascinating bird from our expert, Clive Pinnock.

(Photographer’s please note that next month’s March 2014 Bird will be the American Coot)