Juvenile Common Gallinule

This small, gray, juvenile Common Gallinule was hanging out near the edge of a lake. It looked so different from the adult version, which is black with a bright red beak, that at first I didn't recognize it.

If you think this waterbird looks like a chicken, you're in good company. Here's John J. Audubon's description: "On land it walks somewhat like a chicken, and thirty, forty, or more individuals may be seen searching for worms and insects among the grass, which they also nip in the manner of the domestic fowl" (Plate 244, n.d., para. 1).^[1]

One of the funniest things to me about the Common Gallinule is its chicken-like feet, which seem disproportionately large. They're hidden in this photo, but check out its Photo Gallery page from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.^[2] Despite looking like a chicken, these are swimming birds, and they occasionally dive while hunting.^[3]

To me, baby Common Gallinules look more like the adults (at least in color) than the juveniles. The babies are black with red beaks—and they're very cute. Here's a video I shot of an adult Common Gallinule and babies at a lake in April, followed by a side shot of the juvenile. 

The Details:

Photos:

Common Name: Common Gallinule

Scientific Name: Gallinula galeata

Order: Gruiformes

Family: Rallidae

Seen: Near the edge of a lake

Month: May

Video:

Seen: Swimming in a lake

Month: April

Learn More About Common Gallinules:

1. Plate 244: Common Gallinule. (n.d.). Audubon. [Note: Courtesy of the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, Montgomery County Audubon Collection, and Zebra Publishing]
2. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Common Gallinule: Photo gallery. All About Birds.
3. Audubon. (n.d.). Common Gallinule. [Note: The webpage says the bird guide text was adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996]