Porphyrio flavirostris
This beautiful Gallinule is very difficult to see as well as being rare and spends most of its time skulking around the bottom of reeds. We first saw it in the south of the reserve in 2012. Since then we have seen a handful of these shy birds but in 2014 the population seemed to grow and now we have many examples.
It is a member of the family Rallidae which is typified by its large feet.
It uses the same habitat as the more familiar Purple Gallinule but its colours are much paler and pastel. It has an aqua blue face and flanks with pure white underparts. The wings and back are brown with a bluish tinge. The eyes are a deep red and it has a mint green shield and bill. The legs and feet are bright yellow.
