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Moorhen

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                                 iMoorhens
   Common Moorhen
   Common Moorhen
                         Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Gruiformes
   Family:  Rallidae
   Genus:   Gallinula
            Brisson, 1760

                                   Species

     * Samoan Wood Rail, Gallinula pacifica (sometimes placed in genus
       Pareudiastes, extinct?)
     * Makira Wood Rail, Gallinula silvestris (sometimes placed in genus
       Pareudiastes or Edithornis, extinct?)
     * Tristan Moorhen, Gallinula nesiotis ( extinct)
     * Gough Island Moorhen, Gallinula comeri
     * Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus
     * Dusky Moorhen, Gallinula tenebrosa
     * Lesser Moorhen, Gallinula angulata
     * Spot-flanked Gallinule, Gallinula melanops
     * Black-tailed Native-hen, Gallinula ventralis
     * Tasmanian Native-hen, Gallinula mortierii

                                 Synonyms

   Edithornis
   Pareudiastes
   Tribonyx

   The moorhens are medium-sized water birds which are members of the rail
   family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Gallinula. They are
   relatives of coots, and because of their apparently nervous behaviour
   (frequently twitching tail and neck) are sometimes called skitty coots.

   These rails are all brown and black with some white markings in
   plumage, and, unlike many of the rails, they are usually easy to see,
   feeding in open water margins rather than skulking in reedbeds.

   They tend to have short, rounded wings and be weak fliers, although
   usually capable of covering long distances; the Common Moorhen in
   particular migrates up to 2,000 km from some of its breeding areas in
   the colder parts of Siberia. Those that migrate do so at night. The
   Gough Island Moorhen, on the other hand, is considered almost
   flightless - it can only flutter some meters.

   Moorhens can walk very well on strong legs, and have long toes that are
   well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces.

   These birds are omnivorous, taking plant material, small animals and
   eggs. They are aggressively territorial during the breeding season, but
   are otherwise often found in sizeable flocks on the shallow vegetated
   lakes they prefer.

   A fossil species, Gallinula kansarum, is known from Late Pliocene
   deposits in Kansas. In addition, 2 chronosubspecies of extant species
   have been described: Gallinula chloropus brodkorbi from the Pleistocene
   of Ichetucknee River, and the doubtfully distinct Late Pliocene/Early
   Pleistocene Gallinula mortierii reperta which refers to the population
   of the Tasmanian Native-hen that once inhabited mainland Australia
   where the species became extinct at the end of the last ice age (Olson
   1975; Baird, 1984).

   Apart from the 3 extinctions in more recent times, 2 species have gone
   extinct as a consequnce of early human settlement: Hodgen's Waterhen
   (Gallinula hodgenorum) of New Zealand, and the undescribed Viti Levu
   Gallinule of Fiji which would either be separated in Pareudiastes if
   that genus is considered valid, or may be a completely new genus.
   Similarly, the undescribed Mangaia "Swamphen" which is currently
   tentatively assigned to Porphyrio may belong to Gallinula/Pareudiastes.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorhen"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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