Rails, Gallinules and Coots (Rallidae)
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) - HBW 3, p. 200
French: Gallinule poule-d'eau
German: Teichhuhn
Spanish: Gallineta Común
Other common names: Common Gallinule
Taxonomy: Fulica Chloropus Linnaeus, 1758, England.
Sometimes considered conspecific with G. tenebrosa, or to form superspecies, but the two are sympatric in Wallacea. Many other races described; possible races correiana and indica included in nominate. Twelve subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- chloropus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Europe, North Africa, Azores, Canaries and Cape Verde Is E through W, C & S Asia to Japan, S to Sri Lanka and C Malaysia; N populations winter S to Mediterranean region, sub-Saharan Africa and S Asia.
- meridionalis (C. L. Brehm, 1831) - sub-Saharan Africa and St Helena.
- pyrrhorrhoa A. Newton, 1861 - Madagascar, Reunion, Mauritius and Comoros Is.
- chloropus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Europe, North Africa, Azores, Canaries and Cape Verde Is E through W, C & S Asia to Japan, S to Sri Lanka and C Malaysia; N populations winter S to Mediterranean region, sub-Saharan Africa and S Asia.
- meridionalis (C. L. Brehm, 1831) - sub-Saharan Africa and St Helena.
- pyrrhorrhoa A. Newton, 1861 - Madagascar, Reunion, Mauritius and Comoros Is.
- orientalis Horsfield, 1821 - Seychelles, Andamans, S Malaysia and Greater & W Lesser Sundas to Philippines and Palau Is.
- guami Hartert, 1917 - Northern Mariana Is.
- sandvicensis Streets, 1877 - Hawaiian Is.
- cachinnans Bangs, 1915 - SE Canada and USA through Central America to W Panama, also Bermuda and Galapagos; N populations winter S to Panama and possibly beyond.
- cerceris Bangs, 1910 - Greater & Lesser Antilles.
- barbadensis Bond, 1954 - Barbados.
- pauxilla Bangs, 1915 - E Panama, N & W Colombia, W Ecuador and coastal NW Peru.
- garmani Allen, 1876 - Andes of Peru, Chile, Bolivia and NW Argentina.
- galeata (Lichtenstein, 1818) - Trinidad and the Guianas S through Brazil to N Argentina and Uruguay.
- Least Concern
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Two chicks begging and being fed by an adult Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England, UK (ssp chloropus)
Joe Angseesing 10 May 2007 2 years ago 46 sec 4.7 -
A young chick rests, scratches itself, begs food from a parent then forages Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England, UK (ssp chloropus)
Joe Angseesing 10 May 2007 2 years ago 43 sec 4.7 -
A close view of a chick foraging Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England, UK (ssp chloropus)
Joe Angseesing 10 May 2007 2 years ago 40 sec 4.6 -
A very young chick waits to be fed by its foraging parent Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England, UK (ssp chloropus)
Joe Angseesing 10 May 2007 2 years ago 40 sec 4.6 -
An adult on the water, chasing another one and calling Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil (ssp galeata)
Josep del Hoyo 16 May 2005 4 years ago 19 sec 4.5 -
A bird swimming and feeding Dorado, Puerto Rico (ssp cachinnans)
Juan Sanabria 31 July 2007 2 years ago 31 sec 4.1
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Stretching its leg Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve, Hong Kong
Bob Thompson 8 March 2008 1 year ago 4.4 -
Juvenile Abu Nakhla ponds, Qatar
John A Thompson 26 June 2009 6 weeks ago 4 -
Single bird foraging at the edge of the lake. Lake Råstasjön, Stockholm County, Sweden
Drosera 18 April 2010 14 weeks ago 4 -
Adult bird standing in water Saint Kitts (Saint Christopher) Island (ssp cerceris)
Mikko Pyhälä 9 November 2009 36 weeks ago 4 -
Male - walking through backwaters of a wetland reserve. Bogotá, Colombia
Blair Wainman 30 May 2009 1 year ago 3.8 -
Refection Abu Nakhla ponds, Qatar
John A Thompson 26 June 2009 6 weeks ago 3.8
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Calling while feeding Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
(ssp chloropus)
RAM GOPAL SONI 1 August 2003 28 weeks ago 4 -
Calls of two birds Surrey, England, UK
(ssp chloropus)
Stuart Fisher 32 weeks ago 4 -
Calls by several birds. Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
(ssp galeata)
Ciro Albano 19 March 2007 1 year ago 4 -
2 birds calling to each other London Wetland Centre, London, England, UK
(ssp chloropus)
Stuart Fisher 21 March 2009 24 weeks ago 3 -
Characteristic call London Wetland Centre, London, England, UK
(ssp chloropus)
Stuart Fisher 21 March 2009 24 weeks ago 3
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