Do Common Gallinules Get Jealous of Purple Gallinules?
By Corey • February 24, 2012 • 11 commentsI imagine so. What do you think? And if anyone wants to provide a caption for the picture below please have at it in the comments.
This is a Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica and a Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida. Can you tell which is which? (Click image for larger version.)
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Tags: Circle B Bar Reserve, Florida, gallinules, rails
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Great capture!
I know which is which: if you look very closely, the colouration of the legs gives them away.
A couple of years ago a Moorhen… I mean Common Gallinule… was found on the Lake in Central Park.
It attracted a hoard of birders like it was an Ivory-billed Woodpecker or something.
As soon as everybody learned that they couldn’t count the bird because it was placed in the Lake after being found out on Broadway, they all scattered like House Sparrows with a Sharpie in pursuit….
Man, I love Purple Gallinules. Definitely in my top 10.
CAPTION: “The AOU finally comes to the determination that the Common Gallinule is really just a female Purple Gallinule. Sorry for the species lumping every body!”
CAPTION:
Common Gallinule: Take two aspirin and the discoloration should go away by morning.
That’s a great photo, Corey!
They both look a lot like moorhens, come to think of it. Weird.
CAPTION: Which of these birds has been feeding on Skittles?
Fantastic image.
So is a Moorhen and a common gallinule are the same thing?
Cindy – basically, yes. It is one of many instances where Americans can’t even name birds properly.
It occurs that the caption should be “Are your moorhens unsightly and covered in soot? Use Soot-be-gone for all your waterbird polishing needs!”
My theory is that this Common Gallinule was photo-bombing us. With four(!!) of his Purple cousins in the same 10ft square, there wasn’t any way we would have taken his picture otherwise.