Purple Gallinule

Purple gallinules are among the most vividly colored marsh birds in the Americas — iridescent purple-blue plumage that can flash green and turquoise in good light, a pale blue frontal shield, and a bill split red and yellow. Long, unwebbed yellow legs and toes are the real trick, though, letting the bird walk right across floating vegetation like lily pads without sinking in. They live in freshwater marshes and swamps from the southeastern and Gulf Coast U.S. south through Central and South America, foraging on seeds, fruit, and small aquatic animals.