Common Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

The Common Moorhen is a small bird that loves to live near water. It has a bright red beak and a funny way of walking. You can often see it swimming or walking around in wetlands.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Common Moorhen has a striking red frontal shield and bill with a yellow tip, contrasting with its dark slate-grey body. It features white stripes on its flanks and a white undertail, which it often flicks as it walks or swims.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderGruiformesFamilyRallidaeGenusGallinula

Common Moorhen

Interesting facts

A moorhen chick can swim just hours after hatching, even before its down is fully dry!

Moorhen parents often build several 'dummy' nests, perhaps to confuse predators.

The brightest red on a moorhen's beak usually means it's a healthy, dominant bird!

They sometimes use old nests of other birds, like coots, to lay their eggs.

Special abilities

Common Moorhen can dive swiftly underwater and swim to safety, evading airborne predators like hawks.

Common Moorhen has exceptionally long toes that help them walk effortlessly on floating lily pads and soft mud.

Common Moorhen can run across the water's surface for short bursts, using its large feet to 'skip' before taking flight.

Measurements & details

Length: 30-38 cm
Wingspan: 50-55 cm
Weight: 0.2-0.5 kg
Lifespan: 3-10 years
Top Speed: 50 km/h
Clutch Size: 5-11
Incubation: 19-22 days

Diet & Feeding

These clever birds eat a mix of plants and small creatures they find near water.

Primary Foods

Aquatic plants
Seeds
Insects
Snails
Small fish
Berries

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eaten by

Grey Heron

Ardea cinerea

Young moorhens are often prey for opportunistic herons.

eats

Great Diving Beetle

Dytiscus marginalis

Moorhens actively forage for these aquatic insects and their larvae.

depends on

Broadleaf Cattail

Typha latifolia

Moorhens use these tall reeds for nesting cover and shelter.

Traits

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Webbed Feet

Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Omnivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter.

Filter Feeder

Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.