Purple Gallinule
Purple Gallinule has fallen sharply: down 56% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
About the Purple Gallinule
The Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus) is a North American member of the Rails, Gallinules & Coots (Rallidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 6–19 in long (15–48 cm) — a marsh-dwelling waterbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 74 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 6 states, most concentrated in the Gulf Coastal Prairie.
- Family
- Rallidae · Wetland birds
Notable Purple Gallinule Trends
No notable trend signals for Purple Gallinule. See the full index history below.
Purple Gallinule Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Purple Gallinule is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.01). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±56.7%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2029 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
Where the Purple Gallinule Is Detected
BBS routes recording Purple Gallinule, sized by most recent count.
Purple Gallinule Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -73% | 1975 | 6 |
| Arkansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Florida | -78% | 1970 | 27 |
| Georgia | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Louisiana | +47% | 1970 | 20 |
| Texas | -41% | 1970 | 19 |
Purple Gallinule Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -94% | 1970 | 15 |
| Peninsular Florida | -73% | 1975 | 19 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | +19% | 1970 | 27 |
Purple Gallinule Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 56% since 1969.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.