STRUT YOUR STUFF. The Purple Gallinule is an absolutely stunning native bird here in Florida. The nickname given to them by locals as the “Everglades chicken” is not doing them any justice because these little birds can fly over long distances, some are even known to migrate. The yellow feet of these beautiful birds are wide and long-toed to have a snowshoe effect. With these long toes the lightness and ease with which it walks across the floating plants is surprising. Sexual dimorphism in this species causes the males to have a large bright blue crest on their forehead. The red and blue colors in this male tell you he is a vibrant healthy young man and the females will notice these features and choose the brightest male over the others. This type of “sexual selection” is most likely why any birds have red eyes once sexually mature. This photo took forever because these little birds can be quite skittish.