Moorhen

Not to be confused with Moorfowl or Moorcock.
"Gallinule" redirects here. For the blue gallinules, see Porphyrio.
For the American sailboat design, see Marsh Hen. For the South Carolina company, see Marsh Hen Mill.
For the video game series, see Crazy Chicken.

Moorhens
Temporal range: Late Oligocene to recent
Dusky moorhen, Gallinula tenebrosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Gallinula
Brisson, 1760
Type species
Fulica chloropus
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

see text

Synonyms

Edithornis
Pareudiastes

Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus Gallinula, Latin for "little hen."[1] They are close relatives of coots. They are often referred to as (black) gallinules. Recently, one of the species of Gallinula was found to have enough differences to form a new genus Paragallinula with the only species being the lesser moorhen (Paragallinula angulata).

Two species from the Australian region, sometimes separated in Tribonyx, are called "native hens" (also native-hen or nativehen).[2][3][4][5] The native hens differ visually by shorter, thicker and stubbier toes and bills, and longer tails that lack the white signal pattern of typical moorhens.[6][7]

  1. ^ Gallinula is the diminutive of gallīna ("hen"). It is anglicized gallinule in older zoological texts. "gallinule". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ "Taxonomy update for 2017 - eBird". eBird. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  3. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Taxonomy Version 2". IOC World Bird List (v14.1). IOC World Bird List. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  4. ^ Pepperday, Martin. "Profile - Tasmanian Native Hen". UTAS Zoology Home. University of Tasmania. Archived from the original on 2 October 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  5. ^ Goldizen, Dr. "Tasmanian native hens share mates to get the best ground". The University of Queensland, Australia. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  6. ^ Boles (2005)
  7. ^ "Parks & Wildlife Service - Native Hen, Tribonyx Mortierii". Parks & Wildlife Service. Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 22 November 2018.