# Common Moorhen

*Gallinula chloropus*

Despite being waterbirds, they do not have webbed feet; instead, they have long, thin toes that distribute their weight across floating vegetation.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Gruiformes › Rallidae › Gallinula
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Freshwater marshes, ponds, canals, and lakes with abundant bankside vegetation.
- **Diet:** Omnivorous; consumes aquatic plants, seeds, fruits, insects, snails, and small fish.
- **Range:** Europe, Asia, Africa
- **Size:** 30-38 cm in length with a wingspan of 50-62 cm.
- **Lifespan:** 3-11 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Wetland drainage, water pollution, and predation of eggs by invasive species like the American mink.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and generally shy. Observe from a distance of at least 5 meters to avoid causing stress or flight. They are safe to watch, but do not attempt to handle, as they may peck if cornered or protecting a nest.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/f55948a0-f179-43b6-b8f8-a31dce8a73f5
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/201282
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallinula chloropus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/171773229/medium.jpg (Alexis Lours, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.