Common Moorhen

The Common moorhen measures 30 to 38 centimetres in length and has a wingspan of 50 to 62 centimetres. The Common moorhen weighs 192 to 500 grams and they can fly at 35 kilometres per hour.

The colours and brief description of the key topographical elements has been given below...

Beak: Red beak with a yellow tip, a red frontal shield in seen in adults which is rounded from up and has parallel sides. The juvenile Common moorhen has a dark yellow beak while the immature Common moorhen has a black beak.

Head: Grey, the head of the hatchlings are bald with some black feathers.

Iris: Black.

Pupil: Black.

Mantle: Dark-brown in adult and immature Common moorhens, the mantle is bright-brown in juvenile Common moorhens. The hatchlings of the Common moorhen have it complete black.

Lesser coverts: Dark-brown in adult and immature Common moorhens, the lesser coverts are bright-brown in juvenile Common moorhens. The hatchlings of the Common moorhen have it complete black.

Scapulars: Dark-brown in adult and immature Common moorhens, the scapulars are bright-brown in juvenile Common moorhens. The hatchlings of the Common moorhen have it complete black.

Coverts: Dark-brown in adult and immature Common moorhens, the coverts are bright-brown in juvenile Common moorhens. The hatchlings of the Common moorhen have it complete black.

Tertials: Dark-brown in adult and immature Common moorhens, the tertials are bright-brown in juvenile Common moorhens. The hatchlings of the Common moorhen have it complete black.

Rump: Grey in adult Common moorhens, the immature Common moorhens have dark-brown rump instead, in the juvenile Common moorhen, it is observed to be bright-brown.

Primaries: Dark-brown in adult and immature Common moorhens, the primaries are bright-brown in juvenile Common moorhens. The hatchlings of the Common moorhen have it complete black.

Vent: Grey. It is black in hatchlings.

Tibio-tarsal articulation: Bright-yellow in adult Common moorhens, dull-yellow in juveniles and immature Common moorhens.

Tarsus: Bright-yellow in adult Common moorhens, dull-yellow in juveniles and immature Common moorhens.

Feet: Massive, bright-yellow in adult Common moorhens, dull-yellow in juveniles and immature Common moorhens.

Tibia: Bright-yellow in adult Common moorhens, dull-yellow in juveniles and immature Common moorhens.

Belly: Grey, hatchlings of the Common moorhen have black belly.

Flanks: Grey with white streaks in adult Common moorhens and just grey in immature and juvenile Common moorhens, the hatchlings of the Common moorhens have black flanks.

Breast: Grey, the hatchlings of the Common moorhen have a black breast.

Throat: Grey, the hatchlings of the Common moorhen have a black throat.

Important Details
They belong to the Kingdom Animalia, the Phylum is Chordata, the Class is Aves, the Order is Gruiformes, the Family is Rallidae, the Genus is Gallinula, the Binomial name is Gallinula chloropus.

Extras
the tailward part of the red unfeathered part is a smooth waving line.

Sounds
The calls of the Common moorhen are gargling and loud hisses when threatened.

Diet
The Common moorhen eats vegetables, insects, cereals, fruits and small aquatic creatures, the Common moorhen forages near or in water, the Common moorhen also walks on lilypads or upending in the water, the Common moorhen also dips it's head and does surface sifting for finding food.

Habitat
The Common moorhen lives in marsh, vegetated lakes, ponds, canals and city parks. The Common moorhen can be found 4575 metres above the sea-level.

Behaviour
The Common moorhen walks on aquatic vegetation and can also swim, dive and propel with their legs. The Common moorhen roosts at dusk in low trees and bushes.

Breeding & Nesting
The Common moorhen is territorial and often fights ducks, the adult female Common moorhen uses antagonistic displays against other adult female Common moorhens, the display involves low posture and half open wings, after these displays, the adult female Common moorhen does bill dipping with the adult male Common moorhen, the adult female Common moorhen makes a murmur call for mating. The adult female Common moorhen chases a adult male Common moorhen in courtship.

The nest of the adult Common moorhen is a basket on the ground in vegetation. The adult female Common moorhen lays 8 eggs while a later brood is 5 to 8 eggs or fewer. The nest of the Common moorhen are used again by adult female Common moorhens.

The eggs of the adult female Common moorhen is incubated for three weeks and are mainly incubated by the adult male Common moorhen. The adult male Common moorhen and the adult female Common moorhen incubate and feed the young.

The hatchlings of the adult female Common moorhen fledge after 40 to 50 days and become independent a few weeks later and can raise their first brood the next spring. The hatchlings of the adult female Common moorhen under threat will attach themselves to the body of the adult male Common moorhen or the adult female Common moorhen so that they are taken to safety.

The adult female Common moorhen tends to lay eggs in other adult female Common moorhens nests. The Common moorhen is monogamous.

Threats, Predators & Conservation Status
The Common moorhen lives 10.5 years to 11 years. The Common moorhen is affected by the cyclocoelid flatworm parasite Cyclocoelum mutabile and moorhen flea Dasypsyllus gallinulae. The Common moorhen is listed as Least Concern status in the IUCN Red List.