Common Gallinule

What the Common Gallinule sounds like

Recorded by Emily Ritter · Call, song · Stockton (near Stevens Point), Portage County, Wisconsin, United States · CC0 · via xeno-canto

When to see the Common Gallinule

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is January, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Common Gallinule

The map shades 54 countries with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Suriname, ZZ.

About the Common Gallinule

The common gallinule is a bird in the family Rallidae. It was split from the common moorhen by the American Ornithologists' Union in July 2011. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands in the Americas. The common gallinule is one of the most conspicuous rail species in North America, along with the American coot.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Gough MoorhenGallinula comeriThe Gough moorhen is a medium-sized, almost flightless bird that is similar to the common moorhen, but is smaller, stockier, and has shorter wings. Dusky MoorhenGallinula tenebrosaThe dusky moorhen is a medium-sized bird, slightly smaller than the purple swamphen. Common MoorhenGallinula chloropusThe moorhen is a distinctive species, with predominantly black and brown plumage, with the exception of a white under-tail, white streaks on the flanks, yellow legs and a red frontal shield.