The Story
On June 28, 2017, I photographed this Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) at the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá in Bogotá, Colombia. Its long toes spread its weight so it can walk across floating plants. It is an omnivorous ground feeder, eating a mix of plant and animal food. Its floating nest is hidden in dense vegetation along the shallow edges of lakes, rivers and marshes, and young birds stay on the territory to help raise their siblings. The garden grows plants from every altitude, climate and region of Colombia, grouped by their original ecosystems.
I used a Canon EOS 70D and the EF400mm f/5.6L USM for this one, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 640. IUCN lists the Purple Gallinule as Least Concern with a stable population, and the garden, a member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, runs conservation workshops and a science club for children.
©2018 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