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Gallinula chloropus

Common moorhen
Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) Photograph by Shantanu Kuveskar.jpg
G. c. chloropus from Mangaon, Maharashtra, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Gallinula
Species: G. chloropus
Binomial name
Gallinula chloropus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies

About 5, see text

Gallinula chloropus distribution map.png
Range of G. chloropus      Breeding range     Year-round range     Wintering range
Synonyms

Fulica chloropus Linnaeus, 1758


About 5, see text

Fulica chloropus Linnaeus, 1758

The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (also known as the waterhen and 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

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