The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae). Also known as the waterhen or swamp chicken, it is widely distributed throughout the world living around well-vegetated marshes, canals, ponds, and other wetlands. However, it is not found in polar regions or many tropical rainforests.
Adult common moorhens are medium-sized marsh birds, weigh between 6 to 18 ounces, measure 12 to 15 inches in length, and sport a wingspan of 20 to 24 inches.
A distinctive species, the common moorhen does not have webbed feet which lends to it being referred to as a “swamp chicken” as they have long toes that enable them to walk on top of marsh vegetation. The adults are covered in dark plumage save the white undertail. They also have yellow legs and a red bill tipped with yellow. Harder to see, they also have a red band on each leg, just above the upper joint and just below the feathers. Baby chicks closely resemble the adults with their black downy and yellow-tipped red bills; however, the juveniles are browner and lack the red facial shield until they reach maturity. When swimming, the common moorhen looks similar to the coot as it also pumps its head back and forth.
From mid-March to mid-May, the common moorhen arrives on northern parts of its breeding range. The nest is constructed of dead vegetation and lined with grass, taking on the shape of a well-rimmed cup. The nest is usually found over water and anchored to the stems of bushes; however, the common moorhen has also been known to build on the ground or in low shrubs.
Both sexes share in nest building, incubation, and caring for the young and are very territorial during breeding season. The female lays anywhere from 5 to 10 smooth and glossy, greyish white to green with reddish-brown or grey markings. Eggs are laid one a day and incubation begins with the laying of the first egg. Incubation lasts up to 3 weeks, and hatching is usually staggered, with days difference between the hatching of the first and last eggs. The young leave the nest soon after hatching as young chicks can forage for themselves at 3 weeks of age and can fly by 7 weeks of age. They will, however, stay close to the parents until the fall to help raise later broods.
The common moorhen is omnivorous and opportunistic. Their diet consists of crustaceans, earthworms, mollusks, spiders, tadpoles, small fish, and adult and larval insects, especially flies, mayflies, beetles, butterflies, and other bugs. They occasionally eat other birds’ eggs, moss, algae, seed, flowers, berries, fruit, and small aquatic plants. The common moorhen can make a meal of a variety of sources.
With worldwide numbers estimated between 5 and 8 million, the common moorhen is of Least Concern but faces some threats with the degradation and loss of deep-water marshes with emergent vegetation.
James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a nonprofit conservation organization founded to conserve, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their website is www.wildlifemiss.org.
