Common Moorhen
Common Moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
Also known as: Eurasian Moorhen · Moorhen · COMO
Aves
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
5-10 yrs
Size
Medium
Diet
Omnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Social
Pair
Biome
Freshwater wetland
Range
Worldwide
Movement
Swimming
Breeding
Egg-laying
Defense
Flight
Status
Common

About

A dark waterbird with a bright red-and-yellow bill shield, seen bobbing its head as it swims across ponds and marshes. Despite living on water, its long-toed feet are unwebbed, letting it walk easily across floating vegetation.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    egg
    A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
  2. 2.
    hatchling
    A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
  3. 3.
    juvenile
    A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
  4. 4.
    adult
    Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Gruiformes
Family
Rallidae
Genus
Gallinula
Species
Gallinula chloropus