The Story
I photographed this juvenile Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) at Boyapesca on Lago de Tota, near Aquitania, Boyacá, Colombia, at about 3,020 meters. Its light brown plumage with green-bronze tones on the wings is typical of young birds. Adults are bright purple-blue, though low light can make them look dusky or brownish. The species is found across the Americas. Young birds also have white undertail coverts. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/350 sec, f/16, ISO 3200, +0.5 EV. Lago de Tota is the largest lake in Colombia, and it is the source of the Upía River, which flows into the Orinoco basin.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) belongs to the family Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List