Purple & Common Gallinules use freshwater and brackish marshes, ponds, and lakes that have a mix of submerged, floating, and emergent aquatic vegetation and are open water year-round. Gallinules eat vegetation, seeds, snails, and insects. They pick sedge, grass, pondweed, duckweed, and flower seeds from the water surface or just below the surface. Gallinules flip over leaves with their feet to grab snails and insects hidden below. Foraging Purple Gallinules recall a chicken, albeit one with very long legs; they usually walk slowly and carefully, placing the feet gingerly as they survey marsh vegetation for edible plants and animals. As they walk, they often flick the tail up and down like a chicken does. When disturbed they run, swim, or fly away, legs dangling, sometimes landing in trees or shrubs, where they readily climb, balancing with their wings as they move about. They can also dive underwater, remaining hidden except for the bill for long periods. Young birds learning to walk on floating vegetation often appear comical, holding their wings high in the air and racing across the pads quickly when called by a parent. Purple Gallinules often nest in the same areas as Common Gallinules, which appear to be dominant over them. The long-toed Common Gallinule walks atop floating vegetation and soft soils in a crouched position while slowly flicking its tail up. Seldom do you see them fly, but when they do, their flight is labored. They stride through water pumping their head forward with tail held horizontally and wings held up over the back. Common Gallinules can form long-lasting pairs, but sometimes males mate with more than one female. Females may occasionally share a mate and a nest with their daughter and cooperatively raise the offspring. Young birds that have not found a mate of their own sometimes help their parents brood and feed nestlings. (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
