Ingham County Purple Gallinule - 25 Oct 2026

Shortly before noon Andrew Simon forwarded a message in Discord that a Purple Gallinule was found in Lansing / Ingham County near I-96 and US-127. It was only 1.5 hours away and Robin was up for an afternoon ride so we headed out right after lunch. 

We took Okemos Rd. north to Quarry Road and parked at the end of the small cul-de-sac off Jo Pass Road. A short walk put me onto the Inter-Urban Pathway where I walked to a group of birders viewing the Purple Gallinule. It was in the open swamp foraging but the thick cattail marsh along the edge of the swamp was obscuring views (and photos). But, I managed to see its white rump and brown head.

 

After the first burst of photos others were arriving so I headed back down the path to see if there might be a better view. I found a hole in the cattails and managed to see the Purple Gallinule roosting atop a small log in the water. With less obstructions from cattails and tree branches I managed to find a few positions to get photos with the Sony 200-600 f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens on the Sony a1 II. 

The Purple Gallinule appears to be an immature; bronze-green feathering on the wings and back transition to the blue-purple feathering on the chest and flanks. Head is tan-brown with a blue-gray shield, and bill is beginning to show the two-tone yellow and red coloration of adults. White undertail feathers were flashing regularly as it foraged and bathed, and of course the giant yellow legs were diagnostic.

According to Cornell's Birds of the World, Purple Gallinules are "Highly prone to vagrancy, individuals have been recorded from Labrador to South Georgia and from Switzerland to the Galápagos. This vagrancy trait may make it an effective pioneer to new wetlands as far north as Illinois. It is known in North America as a single-brooded migrant, yet in resident populations, which can raise more than one brood a year, the young from one brood help feed those of the next. The presence of an unstudied resident population in central and south Florida makes studies done on nonmigratory birds in Central America particularly interesting."

A look at eBird reports (all years) shows that Purple Gallinules have been found in a wide range of locations as far north as Northern Michigan and Minnesota. 

It was great to see the great Linda Ar and Rich Neubig, and of course the Purple Gallinule. If accepted it will be the 17th record for the State of Michigan.

Inter-Urban Pathway, Ingham, Michigan, US
Oct 25, 2026 1:58 PM - 2:01 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy 68F. Purple Gallinule reported.
1 species

Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica)  1     Reported this morning. Appears to be an immature; bronze-green feathering on the wings and back transition to the blue-purple feathering on the chest and flanks. Head is tan-brown with a blue-gray shield, and bill is beginning to show the two-tone yellow and red coloration of adults. White undertail feathers were flashing regularly as it foraged and bathed, and of course the giant yellow legs were diagnostic. Pics.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S405378808

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)