Common Moorhen
(Gallinulachloropus)
Photographed in the wild,
Everglades, Florida Mar 2012
Dominican Republic Sep 2016
The most widely distributed member of
the rail family, the Common Moorhen inhabits marshes and ponds from Canada to
Chile, from northern Europe to southern Africa, and across Asia to the Pacific.
Vocal and boldly marked, the species can be quite conspicuous, sometimes using
its long toes to walk atop floating vegetation.
The Common Moorhen has long toes that
make it possible to walk on soft mud and floating vegetation. The toes have no
lobes or webbing to help in swimming, but the moorhen is a good swimmer anyway.
The Common Moorhen sometimes lifts
its feet out of the water in front of the body while swimming, perhaps to pass over
vegetation.
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