BREEDING BIRDS: COMMON MOORHEN

COMMON MOORHEN

(Gallinula chloropus)

Description: Black head and neck, with red forehead shield, red bill with yellow tip. Back is brownish-olive; underparts slate; white streaking on flanks shows as a thin white line. Legs and feet are yellow.

Habitat: Found in fresh-water marshes, lakes and ponds, usually with emergent vegetation and grassy edges.

Diet: Mostly aquatic vegetation; also mollusks (especially snails), worms; berries, fruit.

Displays: With head low, wings partly raised and open, elevates tail exposing white undertail feathers. Male bends head down and in toward feet; male and female bow.

Nest: Usually over water (with ramps leading down to water), occasionally on ground or in low shrub. Occasionally unused nests, brooding and roosting platforms nearby and old nests of jays and magpies.

Eggs: Cinnamon/buff, marked with reddish-brown or olive colors.

Natural history notes: These birds are cooperative breeders with young of first brood, often aiding in care of subsequent broods and in defense of territory. Younger birds lay smaller clutches than older birds and lay later. Young usually hatch asynchronously. Wing spur aids young in climbing. (The Common moorhen was once called the Common Gallinule.)

Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas (now in its fifth and final year), call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160.

Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.

Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).