Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata

Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata cachinnans, Juveniles. Photographs taken within the Florida Everglades, South Florida, October 2022. Photographs and identifications courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata cachinnans, Juveniles. Photographs taken in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 2024. Photographs and identifications courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata cachinnans, Nesting. Photographs taken in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 2024. Photographs and identifications courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata cachinnans. Photographs taken in the San José del Cabo estuary, Baja California Sur, April 2017. Photograph courtesy of Carol Snow, Del Mar, California.

Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata cachinnans. Photographs taken in the greater Mexico City area, March 2021. Photographs and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.

Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata cachinnans, Female. Photographs taken within a residential area in South Florida, March 2024. A nesting mama bird who eventually assisted a Red-eared Slider, Trachenmys scripta elegans to exit her immediate vicinity. Photographs and identifications courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Background and Identification

The Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata cachinnans, is one of seven subspecies of Common Gallinule, with only this subspecies found in Mexico. They are a member of the Rallidae Family of Rails, Gallinules and Coots, which has one hundred fifty-nine members placed in thirty-eight genera. They are one of seven species of the Gallinula Genus. They are known for their striking appearance and their variety of loud and unusual calls. Frequently, the Common Gallinule is also known as the Black Gallinule, the Common Moorhen, and the Florida Gallinula. Gallinules mate in pairs and aggressively defend their territories but become gregarious in winter. There is a subspecies of Common Gallinule that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, far from its other populations. They have life spans of up to eleven years. In Mexico, they are called Gallineta Americana.

The Common Gallinule is medium-sized, similar in stature to a small duck. The average length is 32 cm (12.6 inches) to 35 cm (13.8 inches), and the average mass is 310 g (11 oz) to 456 g (1 lb 0 oz). The sexes are similar in appearance, but males are larger than females, often around 100 g (3.5 oz) different. They are all black with slight paling to dark gray on the upper back, sides, and flanks. Their rump, scapulars, and wings are brownish. They have a prominent white stripe along the top sides and flanks. Their bill and large frontal shield are bright red with the bill being tipped in yellow. Irises are cinnamon-brown or maroon and their legs are bright yellow with a red patch on the uppermost portion. They have long toes a short tail and wings.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The Common Gallinule inhabits flooded non-tidal deep marshes, as well as slightly brackish or freshwater tidal marshes rich in vegetation. Their diet is diverse, including seeds, crustaceans, snails, aquatic and terrestrial grasses, and a wide variety of insects. Breeding primarily occurs in freshwater marshes, where they construct floating nests anchored to aquatic plants. Although they are clumsy in flight, requiring long running takeoffs across the water’s surface to become airborne, they are skilled swimmers and divers. The Common Gallinule is also known for its loud, distinctive calls, which include cracking, grunting, and croaking sounds.

In Mexico, the Common Gallinule is a non-migratory, year-round resident in the interior regions. Most individuals along the coastal areas are winter visitors. They are notably absent from central Baja California, the Pacific Slope from Sonora to Nayarit and Michoacán to Chiapas, and much of the Yucatán Peninsula. These birds are short to medium-distance migrants, with those based in the United States typically moving south for the winter.

Common Misidentifications

The Common Gallinule is similar to and can be confused with the American Coot, Fulica americana. This species, however, lacks a white stripe on the flanks. The Common Gallinule may also be confused with the Purple Gallinule, Porphyrio martinica. This species has a blue head and deep blue underparts and has a blueish base on the frontal shield.

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective, the Common Gallinule is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are hunted in a large part of their geographical range and are a component of human diets in certain parts of the world. They are very tolerant of humans and are considered to be a nuisance waterfowl in many areas and are subject to eradication programs. Their long-term survival is threatened by the loss of their wetland habitats.