Summary
The Purple Gallinule(Porphyrio) is exceptional among the gallinules in feeding from the claws. As field observations in Kenya have shown, this technique clearly is advantageous for opening large water-lily buds from the stem-end to reach the gynaecium and the numerous anthers, a protein-rich food which that bird obviously prefers.
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Wickler, W. Über den Fußgebrauch des Purpurhuhns(Porphyrio) . J Ornithol 109, 446–449 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01671580
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01671580