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- Gallinula comeri
Identification
25 cm, sexes identical.
- Strongly built
- Short wings
- Head and underside black
- Upperside and wings dark brown
- Undertail with white band
- Facial shield red, bill red with yellow tip
- Strong legs blotched red and yellow-green
Distribution
Gough Island in the southern Atlantic. Has been introduced on nearby Tristan da Cunha.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Gough Moorhen was split from Tristan Moorhen. They have both in the past been viewed as subspecies of Common Moorhen, G. chloropus.
Habitat
Prefers heavily vegetated areas often near or in humid sections, below 600 m on Gough and 300-900 m asl on Tristan da Cunha.
Behaviour
This species is a good climber and, though incapable of sustained flight, it is able to use the wings to help getting over obstacles. Feeds on a very varied diet ranging from invertebrates and vegetation to carcasses.
Vocalisation
Described as metallic and loud.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and C.J. Sharpe (2020). Gough Moorhen (Gallinula comeri), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.trimoo3.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Gough Moorhen. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Gough_Moorhen
