One year ago this week I was birding near Lexington Kentucky when I was lucky enough to find a vagrant Purple Gallinule eating earthworms on a suburban lawn.
So far this is the oddest bird I’ve ever spotted out of its range since these guys are normally found in the southern United States from SC to TX down into central and South America.
It was a lot of fun to photograph the Gallinule (aka. the purple-pigeon-chicken lol! Thanks to I.A.M. for that nickname)as it was quite unbothered by my presence. Truly an experience I’ll never forget!

The Purple Gallinule is a member of the Rallidae family of birds, a group containing rails, coots, cranes and crakes.
Most of these birds are commonly found in wetland habitats throughout the United States and many share that absurdly large foot-to-body ratio characteristic as well lol!
Here in North Carolina we’ve got plenty Common Gallinules and Coots but Purple Gallinule sightings are rare.
A couple hours drive south into SC low country along the coast will up your chances of seeing one considerably which is pretty cool.
Look for them foraging along the shorelines in marshes, swamps and small reedy ponds.

Btw, unlike their cousin the Common Gallinule, Purples spend a lot of time searching for a meal on foot vs. the Common’s preference for swimming.
This behavior difference is a helpful way to ID them when viewing one from a distance or in poor lighting conditions if you happen to be birding in a place where the range of the two species overlaps.
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty megapixel monster, the @canonusa #5Ds