Common Gallinule: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © uzun · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Gallinula galeata
- Family
- Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Size
- About 36 cm
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds and slow rivers
- Found in
- Asia, North America, South America and Oceania
The key marks
Dark slaty bird with a red frontal shield, a yellow-tipped red bill, a white streak along the flanks and long greenish legs. American Coot has a white bill with a dark ring, lobed toes, no white flank stripe and a rounder build.
Voice
A sharp 'kurrk' and a loud, clucking, chicken-like cackle.
Good to know
It swims with jerky head nods and flicks its tail, showing the white patches under it.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the American Coot. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in marshes, ponds and slow rivers. It is especially common in Florida. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.