Common moorhen
| Common moorhen | |
|---|---|
| Adult G. c. chloropus and audio recording of call, both from France | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Gallinula |
| Species: | G. chloropus |
| Binomial name | |
| Gallinula chloropus | |
| Subspecies | |
|
About five; see text | |
| Range of G. chloropus Breeding Resident Non-breeding Probably extinct | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), also known as the waterhen, is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae). It is distributed across many parts of the Old World, across Africa, Europe, and Asia. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests; generally it is one of the commonest Old World rail species, together with the Eurasian coot in some regions.