Common moorhen
| Common moorhen | |
|---|---|
_young_adult.jpg) |
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| Young adult, WWT London Wetland Centre, Barnes | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Subclass: | Neornithes |
| Infraclass: | Neognathae |
| Superorder: | Neoaves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Gallinula |
| Species: | G. chloropus |
| Binomial name | |
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Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| Subspecies | |
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About 5, see text |
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| Range of G. chloropus Breeding range Year-round range Wintering range | |
| Synonyms | |
About 5, see text
Fulica chloropus Linnaeus, 1758
The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (also known as the swamp chicken) is a bird species in the family Rallidae. It is distributed across many parts of the Old World.
The common moorhen lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests. Elsewhere it is likely the most common rail species, except for the Eurasian coot in some regions.
The closely related common gallinule of the New World has been recognized as a separate species by most authorities, starting with the American Ornithologists' Union and the International Ornithological Committee in 2011.
The name mor-hen has been recorded in English since the 13th century. The word moor here is an old sense meaning marsh; the species is not usually found in moorland. An older name, common waterhen, is more descriptive of the bird's habitat.
A "watercock" is not a male "waterhen" but the rail species Gallicrex cinerea, not closely related to the common moorhen. "Water rail" usually refers to Rallus aquaticus, again not closely related.
The scientific name Gallinula chloropus comes from the Latin Gallinula (a small hen or chicken) and the Greek chloropus (khloros green or yellow, pous foot).
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Wikipedia