Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica), Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station , Maricopa County

This Purple Gallinule was discovered and photographed by Mark Shobe on 08 July 2011.  He is a worker at the Palo Verde Generating Station. He noticed the bird "standing on a small I-Beam in one of my water sumps" and used his cell phone to make this image.

There are 13 previous records for Arizona, but one was reported road killed near Marana the week before and another was discovered at Rio Rico the same day as this bird was photographed. 

Purple and green colored plumage, tricolored bill and shield, white undertail coverts, big yellow legs!

08 July 2011, photo by Mark Shobe

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