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Common Gallinules

An adult Common Gallinule swimming in the water, facing the right. Its feathers are black and shiny. It has a vibrant red face shield that extends down its beak, though the tip of its beak is a pale yellow. It has dark eyes. A bit of white is seen near its tail feathers. Part of its leg can be seen under the water; the leg is yellow with a bit of red. The water is dark with shades of green. Light can be seen reflected off parts of the water.

Common Gallinules are funny little birds. We’ve talked about them before, but I saw some families of them out on a lake, and I thought they deserved a post of their own. Take a look at this little bird:

A juvenile Common Gallinule stands with its right leg on a branch that is sticking out of the water, which is various shades of green. The bird's left leg is up in the air, as if it is taking a step. The bird is leaning towards the right. The juvenile bird's feather's are gray, and some of the feathers look wet. It does not have a red face shield. Its beak is mostly pale.

Look at those feet! They're so large, that it's equal parts funny and adorable. These big feet come in handy when it comes to stepping on plants and squishing through mud.[1] This is a juvenile Common Gallinule. Adult Common Gallinules have a red face shield, which for breeding adults, is bright and vibrant.[2]

Common Gallinules are swimming birds, and when they swim, they bob their heads like ducks.[1] Although they can swim into open water, you're more likely to find them close to shore. They can also dip under the water in search of food. As omnivores, they eat animals (like snails) as well as plants.[3]

A juvenile Common Gallinule is swimming, looking up.

Plants come in handy for building nests as well. Courtship also involves chasing each other around, followed by a deep bow.[4] Then, to prepare for their growing family, the birds will build a nest together near the water.[3] Sometimes they'll even add a ramp![4] All in all, that's pretty fancy, given that some birds are content to find a ledge or abandoned nest, maybe throw a few feathers on it, and call it a day (ahem, the Great Horned Owl).[5]

This fancy house could potentially have a lot of birds to keep safe. One pair of Common Gallinules can lay up to thirteen eggs, and (although uncommon) they can have up to three broods a year.[6]

Thirteen eggs. 

Three broods a year.

That’s a ton of baby birds. To make matters crazier, the babies are ready to swim within their first day.[7] And, although they hatch in roughly 3 weeks, they don't all hatch at the same time.[3]

Two juvenile Common Gallinules (on the left) are swimming with an adult Common Gallinule (on the right). The two juveniles are facing each other, looking down. One has its beak partly in the water. The adult Common Gallinule is looking straight down.

For the parents, this calls for teamwork. Both babysit, with one doing so more literally than the other. As one parent watches over the little birds ready to explore and plunge into the big wide world, the other sits and incubates the eggs that haven’t hatched.[8]

The birds in these photos were out exploring, traveling together along the shoreline. It was a hot, hot day, but they seemed content bobbing along together in the shade, picking at plants, making noise.

The Details: 

Common Name: Common Gallinule
Scientific Name: Gallinula galeata
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Seen: Traveling together around the edge of a lake
Month: May
Range: In the eastern half of the United States, the Common Gallinule's range extends up from Texas towards Minnesota, and then northward from New York into Canada.[9] It can also be found in the southwest as far as California. Its range extends southward into Mexico and South America. You can see a helpful range map on the Cornell Lab's website.

Learn More About Common Gallinules:

  1. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Common Gallinule: Overview. All About Birds.
  2. Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley guide to birds (2nd ed.). Alfred A. Knopf. 
  3. Alsop, F. J. (2002). Birds of North America (American ed.). Dorling Kindersley Limited.  
  4. Big Thicket National Preserve. (2021, April 21). Common Gallinule. National Park Service. 
  5. Kaufman, K. (1996). Lives of North American birds. Houghton Mifflin.  
  6. Audubon. (n.d.). Common Gallinule. [Note: The website says the text was adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996]
  7. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Common Gallinule: Identification. All About Birds.
  8. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. (2019). Common Gallinule: Gallinula galeata.  
  9. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Common Gallinule: Range map. All About Birds.
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