Other Scientific Names
Porphyrio martinicus [Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)], Porphyrula martinica [Cramp and Simmons (1977-1994)], Porphyrula martinica [Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993)], Porphyrula martinica [Stotz et al. (1996)]
Other Names (World)
Purple Gallinule, American Purple Gallinule, Yellow-legged Gallinule
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda (B), Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica (B), Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uruguay (B), USA (B), Venezuela.
Vagrant to Iceland, Portugal, St Pierre and Miquelon (NB), United Kingdom, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (U.S.).
Interior eastern USA; Pacific coast from Nayarit and Atlantic coast from Maryland and Delaware, south through south-eastern USA, Central America, West Indies and northern and central South America south to southern Peru and northern Argentina. northern populations winter southern from Texas and Florida.
 
Population
Estimated population is 100,000 - 1,000,000 (2010).
Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) [XC723138]
by Jo\u00e3o Vitor Oliveira de Souza from Asociaci\u00f3n Ambiental Finca C\u00e1ntaros, Costa Rica (call)
Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio) [XC257459]
by John A. Trent from Manab\u00ed: La Segua marsh (Chone lakes), Ecuador (flight call)
Subspecies
Sometimes placed in Gallinula or Porphyrula. Forms superspecies with Allen's Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni).