Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Common Moorhen

Common Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

The common moorhen, known scientifically as Gallinula chloropus, is a bird of the rail family, Rallidae. It is a bird of striking appearance, with a mix of black and brown plumage, a white under-tail, and white streaks along its flanks. Its legs are a vibrant yellow, and it sports a distinctive red frontal shield. The bill is a matching red with a yellow tip. Juveniles are a duller brown and do not have the red shield.

Identification Tips

Adult moorhens can be identified by their red frontal shield, which has a rounded top and fairly parallel sides. The tailward margin of the red unfeathered area is smoothly curved. Their yellow legs and the combination of their black and brown plumage with white markings make them quite distinctive. The young are browner and lack the red shield, making them less conspicuous.

Habitat

The common moorhen is found in a variety of wetland habitats, including marshes, ponds, canals, and lakes that are rich in vegetation. It is also known to inhabit city parks with suitable water bodies.

Distribution

This species has a broad distribution across many parts of the Old World. It is not found in polar regions or many tropical rainforests but is otherwise widespread, often being the most common rail species in its range.

Behaviour

Moorhens are known for their secretive nature but can become quite tame in certain areas. They exhibit territorial behavior during the breeding season and are known to aggressively defend their territory against intruders.

Song & Calls

The common moorhen emits a variety of gargling calls and will hiss loudly when threatened.

Breeding

Breeding season sees moorhens becoming territorial. They construct a basket-like nest on the ground within dense vegetation. Egg-laying typically begins in spring, with clutches ranging from 5 to 8 eggs. Both parents are involved in incubation and rearing the young, which fledge after 40-50 days.

Similar Species

The common gallinule (Gallinula galeata) of the Americas is closely related but can be distinguished by the shape of its frontal shield and the coloration of its plumage.

Diet and Feeding

Moorhens have a varied diet that includes vegetable matter and small aquatic organisms. They forage in and around water bodies, sometimes upending in the water or walking on lilypads to feed.

Conservation Status

Globally, the common moorhen is abundant and classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, localized populations may be vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss and hunting.

Subspecies

There are about five recognized subspecies of the common moorhen, which vary slightly in appearance and are distributed across different geographic regions. These subspecies include the Eurasian common moorhen (G. c. chloropus), the Indo-Pacific common moorhen (G. c. orientalis), the African common moorhen (G. c. meridionalis), the Madagascan common moorhen (G. c. pyrrhorrhoa), and the Mariana common moorhen (G. c. guami).

Common Moorhen Sounds



Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Common Moorhen Fun Facts

Did you know?
Common Moorhens are also known as Waterhens or Swamp Chickens.

Common Moorhens on Birda

Sightings

More Rails, Crakes & Coots

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
Nedz53
Really useful
Downloaded to give it a try, everything worked perfectly, recorded my first bird watching walk. Very impressed. Have already recommended to friends!
Alice J
Awesome Birding Community
I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.