Common vs dusky moorhen (1 Viewer)

M

MountainMan

Well-known member

• Mar 20, 2006

• #1

Hi to all,

Can anyone tell me the taxonomical difference between the Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and the Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa) ? Physically both look very similar to me.

Common Moorhen
Dusky Moorhen


Thanks

 

cuckooroller

Registered User

• Mar 20, 2006

• #2

Eric,
I am not real sure I get the gist of your question. They are different species. Perhaps what you want are their relative descriptions?

 

cuckooroller

Registered User

• Mar 20, 2006

• #3

Eric,
I just took a stroll through some books. The two species have at times been viewed as being conspecific or as forming a superspecies. Currently, they are considered separate good species based mostly on the observation that they are sympatric in Wallacea without apparently producing intergrading populations in their points of contact. Indeed, chloropus seems to be excluding tenebrosa gradually in these zones of range overlap.

 

Dave B

Well-known member

• Mar 21, 2006

• #4

MountainMan said:

Hi to all,

Can anyone tell me the taxonomical difference between the Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and the Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa) ? Physically both look very similar to me.

Common Moorhen
Dusky Moorhen


Thanks

Click to expand...

Just from memory, the legs are different colours (predomninantly red on Dusky
and greenish on Common). The most noticeable difference though is the call - Dusky makes a really piercing squeal, quite different from any Comon Moorhen call. From your pics, it looks as though Dusky lacks the white flank streaks of Common. Not sure about other differences.

Dave

 

M

MountainMan

Well-known member

• Mar 21, 2006

• #5

Thank you Steve and Dave for your inputs. It is very helpful as I was wondering how to tell the differences in the two species in the regions of overlap, and it's really interesting to know that, as Steve mentioned, "chloropus seems to be excluding tenebrosa gradually in these zones". Thanks again.

Eric

 

Tom Tarrant

Bird and Wildlife Tour Guide

Opus Editor

• Mar 21, 2006

• #6

Hi Mountainman,

Dusky Moorhen (photographed in Australia) attached.

Plenty more images of these here:
http://www.aviceda.org/abid/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&fid=33&bid=426

Hope this helps,

Tom

 

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