Bird
Bird
Common Moorhen
Gallinula galeata
The Common Moorhen is a familiar dark waterbird of Trinidad and Tobago's ponds, ditches, and marshes, recognised by its bright red-and-yellow frontal shield and bill and its habit of pumping its head and flicking its white-edged tail as it swims and walks over floating vegetation.
The Common Moorhen is a familiar dark waterbird of Trinidad and Tobago's ponds, ditches, and marshes, recognised by its bright red-and-yellow frontal shield and bill and its habit of pumping its head and flicking its white-edged tail as it swims and walks over floating vegetation.
Identification
A medium-sized waterbird around 30 to 35 cm long, dark slate-grey to blackish overall with a brownish tinge on the back, a white line along the flanks, and white undertail coverts often flicked conspicuously while swimming. The bill and frontal shield are bright red tipped with yellow, and the legs are yellow-green with long, unwebbed toes adapted for walking across floating vegetation such as lily pads.
Ecology
The Common Moorhen feeds on aquatic and marsh vegetation, seeds, and small invertebrates, foraging both by swimming and by walking across floating and emergent vegetation using its long toes to distribute weight. It is less exclusively aquatic than coots, often venturing onto adjacent grassy banks to feed. It builds a woven platform nest of marsh vegetation just above the waterline, and is generally found singly, in pairs, or small family groups rather than large flocks.
Status in T&T
Common on freshwater ponds, ditches, marshes, and vegetated wetland margins across both Trinidad and Tobago, including urban ponds and drainage canals. It is not threatened and tolerates modest habitat disturbance. It is protected under the Conservation of Wildlife Act and is not a game species.
Threats
- Freshwater wetland pollution and habitat degradation
