Eurasian Moorhen: 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 © Alexis Lours · CC BY · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Gallinula chloropus
- Family
- Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Size
- About 33 cm
- Habitat
- Ditches, ponds and canals with plant cover
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania
The key marks
Dark with a red shield and a yellow-tipped red bill, a white line along the flank and white under the tail, which it flicks as it walks. Coot is bigger and all black with a white bill and shield.
Voice
A sudden, gurgling 'kurruk' and a sharp 'kittik'.
Good to know
Young from the first brood often help their parents feed the next brood of chicks.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Eurasian 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 ditches, ponds and canals with plant cover. It is especially common in the United Kingdom, China and the Netherlands. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.