Common Moorhen

Swims slowly with feet adapted for walking.

Scientific name	Gallinula chloropus
English name	Common Moorhen
Japanese name	鷭
Class	Aves
Order	Gruiformes
Family	Rallidae
Genus	Gallinula
Species	chloropus
Full length	32cm
Distribution	Tropical regions, excluding Oceania.

Common Moorhen Characteristics and Morphology

A bird of the Rallidae family. Pigeon-sized and of uniform color. Black from head to abdomen.
The head is small and black. Characterized by a red beak and frontal shield. The tip of the beak is yellow. The iris is red. The wings are slightly greenish brown. A white line runs between the wing and the body. From the throat to the abdomen is black with a slight gray tint. The tail feathers are small, and white feathers are visible. The legs are long and thick, and the lobed toes are yellow to yellowish-green. There are no webs.

Song

Rarely sings, but its call is a loud "Kru".

Common Moorhen Ecology

Habitat

Inhabits lakes, marshes and rivers.

Food

Eats insects and plant seeds.

Life Cycle

Builds nests on the water's edge to breed.

Common Moorhen Photos

Common Moorhen Photos are introduced.
Tap the photo to open the detail page.

Characterized by its red beak and yellowish-green long legs.

Swimming around where aquatic plants grow.

Hides in the shade of the grass when alarmed.

Came out into the sun of the Yudono River.

Common Moorhen Behavior

Swims among aquatic plants or walks with its long legs. Not a good swimmer, and slow. Although not as cautious as the rails, it is wary and flees into the bushes when it senses danger.

Common Moorhen Information

Naming

The scientific name "chloropus" means "green foot", and is derived from the distinctive color of its legs. The Japanese name comes from the fact that it is a bird that "guards" the rice fields because of its call.

Common Moorhen Found Locations

Yudono River

It was swimming around the area where aquatic plants grow thickly along the Yudono River. It seemed indifferent to the people walking along the river, but when I peered in to take a picture, it became wary and fled into the reeds. Since it is not a fast swimmer, you can observe it well if you find it from a distance.