The Common Gallinule is one of the most common wetland birds in our area of the southeastern U.S., and they are very prolific. They have 1-2 broods a year, and each clutch can have as many as 3-15 eggs (All About Birds). Formerly known as the Common Moorhen, this member of the Rail family is […]
Tag Archives: Common Gallinule
A very common sight in our freshwater marshes these days is the Common Gallinule, seen above helping one of its many new chicks learn how to feed on the aquatic vegetation not far from the nest. The fluffy black Common Gallinule chicks are comical (but adorable!) with their giant chicken-like feet, bald heads, and stubby little wings. […]
Common Gallinules (also known as Common Moorhens), members of the Rail family, are extremely common in our wetland preserves. They breed all year round in Florida, and can have many broods per season. The adults are very protective of their nesting territory and can be quite bossy, squawking loudly at anyone they perceive as an intruder. The parents must be […]
As the nesting season draws to a close, and the migratory birds have returned to their summer homes, we see fewer and fewer of our ‘regulars’ like the Great Blue Herons and Wood Storks here in the preserves. Some of the juveniles and a few baby birds, like the Night Herons, Cattle Egrets, and Common Moorhens (Gallinules) still remain, […]
Some birds just always look good, like this adult Purple Gallinule hiding in the shadows above. Some little guys, like the ones below, are still aspiring to look like their handsome parents.
Last week in my post, A thing or two about Ducks, I mentioned that I would soon blog about some water fowl that look sort of like ducks, and are commonly mistaken for ducks, but are not ducks at all. Now, you can certainly tell that the little creature featured above is NOT a duck at all. But, looks can be deceiving! […]
It seemed a bit late in the morning to be heading out for my walk the other day . . . nearly 9:30 am already. . . I never go birding that late! By then, the sun is getting hot and high in the sky, and mid-morning is generally past the birds’ most active […]
I love walking in the wetland preserves at this time of year. Sometimes it is far too hot at midday, but if you go very early, just after sunrise, or late in the day, just before sunset, it is perfect! I spotted the Black-bellied Whistling Duck pair above recently, and discovered a plump young Gallinule […]
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