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Common Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

Published on Project Noah
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33.0727, -117.063

Field Notes

Description:

Candy corn bill with the red face shield and yellow tip. It has a dark head fading to brown wings. There's white on the undertail. I don't know which subspecies this is based on the quality of photos since the bird was so far away.

Habitat:

It hung around American Coot at Sandy Lake at Kit Carson park. Very shy around people! There's a Red-eared Slider in the third image that can be seen at my other spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/8659218

Notes:

There are over a dozen subspecies. "The name mor-hen has been recorded in English since the 13th century, and the word moor here is an old sense meaning marsh - the species is not usually found in moorland. An older alternative name, Common Waterhen, is a more descriptive because of the bird's habitat." - Wikipedia

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (5)

It really is calm and small. This is the first time I've seen the Moorhen's but the others are there year round.
thanks for the ID. Very calm, the hole scene from the series
Nice. Is that a turtle on the third picture right to the birds?

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