By: Sally Siko

Eastern Kentucky is a wonderful place to go birding in the spring because you never quite know what to expect when you step outside.
While visiting there last week with @isaacmcshanephoto I saw a White Pelican and two species of Sandpipers (a Spotted & Solitary) at Jacobson Park.
That’s strange right?
But, by far the weirdest bird encountered on our trip was with this gorgeous Purple Gallinule.
It was surreal to stand just a few feet away taking pictures of this feathered gem (aka a Purple Pigeon Chicken lol!) by the side of a road in a random suburban Lexington KY neighborhood.
Crazy!

The reason why it was such a treat to spot a Purple Gallinule in KY is because they are usually found in south-eastern United States, from South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, down to Florida southwards through Caribbean and into Central and South America.
Seeing one all the way up here was truly special!
That being said, this species boasts the greatest pattern of vagrancy amongst rails, with individuals recorded as far west as California and the Galápagos Islands , as far north as Iceland and Labrador, as far south as Tierra del Fuego, and as far east as Great Britain, Portugal and Cape Verde.

Purple Gallinules are best found looking for a meal in freshwater marshes, ponds and swampy areas, especially ones containing an abundance of aquatic vegetation & Lily pads.
Dedicated omnivores, Gallinules eat a wide variety of foods including plants, insect, seeds, small crustaceans, amphibians and even the eggs and young of other birds.
One of their favorite snacks are earthworms. Although it was a shock to find a Purple Gallinule in a suburban neighborhood in eastern Kentucky, perhaps the more surprising thing is that there aren’t more here on a regular basis given how many juicy earthworms are found in those lush lawns spanning the blue grass state.
If I was a Gallinule I’d never leave lol!
😉

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds