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.

See all 12 subspecies

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.