Spot-flanked Gallinule Porphyriops melanops Scientific name definitions

The Spot-flanked Gallinule is a tiny, distinctive gallinule, with four disjunct populations in South America: it occurs around the pantanal, ibera, and entre rios wetlands northeast Argentina and nearby Bolivia, Paraguay, and Brazil; extreme eastern Brazil, central Chile, and central Colombia. This species frequents lagoons and marshes. Its small size and cryptic coloration make it especially difficult to see when it is hiding in the reeds, though it will venture into open water regularly. The Spot-flanked Gallinule has a slate-colored head, neck, and underparts, with white spots on the flanks, and a warm brownish-red back and wings.