# Common Gallinule

Scientific name: Gallinula galeata

Bird group: [rail](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/rail)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/106/Common-Gallinule

## Identification

The common gallinule (Gallinula galeata) is a bird in the family Rallidae. It was split from the common moorhen by the American Ornithologists' Union in July 2011. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands in the Americas. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests. Elsewhere, the common gallinule is likely the most commonly seen rail species in much of North America, except for the American coot in some regions.


## Distribution and habitat

The Common Gallinule is a common resident species in 
Puerto Rico known to occur 
in wetlands and various water 
bodies throughout the main 
island, Culebra, and Vieques 
(Raffaele 1989a), in the latter 
being a fairly common breeding 
resident (Gemmill 2015). This 
species is most common in 
freshwater habitats among 
rivers, brackish waters, canals, 
ditches, mangroves, stream 
banks, reservoirs, creeks, and 
ponds with dense vegetation 
(Oberle 2018). The atlas 
fieldwork yielded a total of 449 
records within 222 hexagons or 46 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the 222 
hexagons where this species 
was found, breeding met the 
atlas definition of confirmed in 
31 percent (69) of the hexagons, 
probable in 26 percent (57), and 
possible in 43 percent (95), while 
the species was observed in an 
additional hexagon (<1 percent) 
but without evidence of breeding 
(see map). Common Gallinule distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.

## Breeding

The Common Gallinule builds its nest on fl oating vegetation, in a 
shrub, or on the ground (Oberle 
2018). Previously published 
reports indicate that its breeding       97Common Gallinule/Gallareta Comúnactivity extends year-round, peaking in May to September 
(Raffaele and others 1998). Atlas 
results confirm that the breeding 
season extends throughout the 
year, but the highest breeding 
activity peaks in March to June 
(see chart). Results show that the 
Common Gallinule is a habitat 
generalist that breeds within all 
ecological life zones except the 
subtropical rain forest life zone, 
a pattern that coincides with the 
abundance of these life zones in the island. Most breeding 
activity was reported within the 
subtropical moist forest life zone 
(65 percent of the hexagons), 
followed by the subtropical dry 
and subtropical wet forest life 
zones (24 and 10 percent of the 
hexagons, respectively) (see 
table and map).

## Conservation

The Common Gallinules overall population trend is suspected 
to be stable, and it is listed as a species of least concern by 
the IUCN (BirdLife International 
2016). Locally, this species is not 
listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER and 
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the 
Common Gallinule has a 
protected habitat in land of 11 
percent or 586 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons 
where evidence of breeding 
was found for this species 
(5283 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_106_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_106_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.