Common Moorhen or Common Gallinules. Virginia Rail ... More to Read. Nods its head as it swims; flies short distances with legs dangling conspicuously. Photo by Ken Nanney. The ONLY Birds that Can Fly BACKWARDS: Hummingbirds. It has white stripes on its sides. The Common Gallinule and its relative, the Common Moorhen, are the most commonly seen members of the Rail family (Rallidae) around much of the world. gallinule: [noun] any of several aquatic birds of the rail family with long thin feet and a platelike frontal area on the head: such as. Common Gallinule - Grayson Co., May 31, 2010. An immature Common Gallinule (right) with American Coot, Worcester Co., Maryland (11/11/2011). Upper flanks show distinct white line. Compare with Similar Species. The gallinule swims buoyantly, bobbing its head; … () (More of this species King Rail. Gallinula galeata The Common Moorhen is also called the Common Gallinule. It has long chicken-like toes that help it walk on the top of floating vegetation and the mud. Common Gallinule wing lift – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/400, ISO 250, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light. Common gallinule definition is - a dark-colored aquatic bird (Gallinula galeata of the family Rallidae) that is widespread in the Americas and has yellow legs, a red frontal shield, and a white band on the flanks —called also Florida gallinule. Rails, Gallinules, and Coots (Order: Gruiformes, Family: Rallidae ) Ridgway's Rail. In some locales, the moorhen is known as the blue rail, chicken-foot coot, red-billed mud hen and Florida gallinule. Photo by Ken Nanney. See more. Common Gallinule - Village Creek Drying Beds, Tarrant County, July 5, 2009 . Common Gallinules and American Coots are both from the Rallidae family and there are some similarities in their appearance, for instance both have a triangular bill with a frontal shield at the top. The common moorhen is also known as the American gallinule. The largest flying parrot species is: The Hyacinthine Macaw. This bird can HIBERNATE for months: the Common Poorwill. The bird found throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa is now known as the ‘Eurasian Moorhen’ (Gallinula chloropus) however the species found here in North America, as well as South America, is now called the ‘Common Gallinule’ (Gallinula galeata). The Oldest Parrot: Blue & Gold Macaw. The common moorhen is a meduim-sized member of the rail family found in aquatic environments. one (Porphyrula martinica) found from the southern U.S. to Argentina that is purplish blue with olive-green upperparts, … Common Gallinule Like other marsh birds, the Common Moorhen is local in its distribution, depending on the availability of its preferred habitat. Moorhen definition, a common species of gallinule, Gallinule chloropus, of nearly worldwide distribution. Gallinule, which is Latin for "chicken-like," describes the way moorhens walk and peck at food along the water's edge. Gallinule definition, any aquatic bird of the family Rallidae, having elongated, webless toes. How to use common gallinule in a sentence. Tail is white below. With its strong legs and long toes, it runs about on open shorelines, walks on floating lily pads, and clambers through marshes and waterside trees, flicking its short tail nervously. Clapper Rail. Long legs and unwebbed feet are yellow-green. moorhen. See more. Here in the U.S., it’s found year-round in the south, including Florida, and spreads throughout the eastern half of the country in the summer breeding season. Photo by Bill Hubick. It has gray-black feathers and a red bill with a yellow tip. It is 12-15 inches in length and has a wingspan of a little under two feet. Photo by Ken Nanney. Avibase is an extensive database information system about all birds of the world, containing over &1 million records about 10,000 species and 22,000 subspecies of birds, including distribution information for 20,000 regions, taxonomy, synonyms in several languages and more. Yellow-tipped red bill is short with red frontal plate extending onto forehead. Common Gallinule - Village Creek Drying Beds, Tarrant County, June 2, 2008 .