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Common Gallinule or Moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
{Species
Archive Index}
photo ©Ginger Allen, UF/IFAS
Identifiers- 14" body, red frontal shield at base of stout
bill, flanks and under tail white, head/chest dark gray, back olive, yellow
legs with red garter
Adaptations- long toes with claws,
short broad wings, yellow-tipped bill
Status-
common throughout Florida
Distribution- mainly Texas to
South Carolina, Great Lakes, California, population declining due to wetland
losses
Habitat- freshwater/brackish wetlands
Reproduction- circular plant nest, 5-9 eggs, several broods per year
Diet- grasses, seeds, snails, aquatic invertebrates
Fun facts
- call is hen-like clucks
- prefers not to fly, will clumsily fly up and down into reeds or dive into
water when threatened
- young eaten by alligators, snapping turtles, and garfish
- head bobs in rhythm with their feet
- will fight other gallinules for individual territory
{Species
Archive Index} |
