The common gallinule is a waterbird species found in wetlands across North and South America. In 2011, there was a proposal to change the common name of this bird from “common gallinule” to “common moorhen”. This led to some confusion amongst birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts regarding whether the scientific name or common name had actually been changed.
Quick Answers
The scientific name of the common gallinule is Gallinula galeata. This scientific name has not changed.
The American Ornithological Society proposed changing the common name from “common gallinule” to “common moorhen” in 2011. However, this proposal was rejected by the American Birding Association and other organizations.
Therefore, the common name remains “common gallinule” in the Americas, although it is still called the “common moorhen” in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
What is the common gallinule?
The common gallinule (Gallinula galeata) is a medium-sized waterbird in the rail family, Rallidae. It is approximately 35-38 cm in length with a wingspan of 50-61 cm. The adult has rich dark plumage on its head, neck, and underparts, contrasting with a light grey back and white undertail.
The common gallinule has extremely long toes which allow it to walk delicately on floating vegetation in shallow water. It swims buoyantly and relies on its toes to propel itself. This species uses freshwater marshes and ponds with dense emergent vegetation across much of North America, the Caribbean, and scattered parts of Central and South America.
Range and habitat
The common gallinule has an extremely large range spanning diverse wetland habitats across the Americas. Its breeding range extends from Canada to Chile and Argentina. Northern populations migrate southwards in winter while tropical populations are largely resident.
Preferred breeding habitats include freshwater marshes, swamps, ponds, wet meadows and shorelines with dense emergent vegetation. The common gallinule often inhabits community lakes and freshwater reservoirs. It builds floating nests attached to vegetation.
Feeding
The common gallinule is omnivorous and has a varied diet. It feeds on aquatic plants, seeds, fruits, insects, snails, spiders, worms, fish, frogs, tadpoles and small reptiles. It will also scavenge for food scraps. It picks food items while walking slowly on lilypads or through shallow water.
Behavior
The common gallinule swims buoyantly, uses its feet to propel through vegetation, and walks or runs on floating plants. Its long toes allow it to distribute its weight to avoid sinking into soft mud. This species is territorial during the breeding season. It is known for its loud, cackling call which carries across wetlands.
What was the proposal to change the common name?
In July 2011, the American Ornithologists’ Union’s North American Classification Committee (NACC) proposed changing the common name of the common gallinule to “common moorhen”.
This name change would have aligned the common name in the Americas with the existing common name “common moorhen” used for the same species in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The NACC justified the proposed name change by arguing that “common gallinule” was an inappropriate name since the species is not a true gallinule and inhabits marshy wetlands rather than farmyards where poultry are kept.
Reasons for the proposal
The NACC provided several reasons for proposing the name change from common gallinule to common moorhen:
- Align the New World name with the existing Old World name
- Reflect its preferred marsh habitat rather than farm gallinules
- Claims the name “gallinule” was taxonomically inaccurate
- Reduce confusion since it is not closely related to other gallinule species
The proposed change aimed to establish a single common name for this species worldwide as the “common moorhen”.
Response to the proposal
The proposal by the NACC to change the common name to “common moorhen” generated considerable debate and was met with opposition from several key ornithology organizations:
- The American Birding Association (ABA) rejected the proposed name change in 2011.
- The Association of Field Ornithologists declined to accept the name change.
- Opponents argued the well-established name “common gallinule” should take precedent over aligning with the Old World name.
Due to this widespread opposition, the proposal was rejected and the common name remained unchanged as the “common gallinule”.
What is the current accepted name?
Currently, the universally accepted common name for this species in the Americas remains “common gallinule”.
The scientific name Gallinula galeata has not changed.
The 2011 proposal to change the common name to “common moorhen” was overturned. Leading American ornithology organizations endorsed keeping the existing common name.
Common gallinule
The common gallinule retains its long-standing common name in the Americas:
- English: Common gallinule
- Spanish: Gallineta común
- French: Gallinule d’Amérique
- Portuguese: Frango-d’água-comum
Common moorhen
In Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia, this species is known as the “common moorhen”:
- English: Common moorhen
- German: Teichhuhn
- French: Gallinule poule-d’eau
- Chinese: 红冠水鸡
So while the common gallinule and common moorhen refer to the same species, the accepted common names differ between the Americas and other world regions.
Conclusion
In summary:
- The scientific name Gallinula galeata remains unchanged for this species.
- The common name “common gallinule” still has precedence in the Americas, despite the 2011 proposal.
- Leading American ornithology organizations rejected renaming it to “common moorhen”.
- Outside the Americas, particularly Europe/Asia, it is still referred to as the “common moorhen”.
- There is no current evidence that the established common name of common gallinule will change in the near future.
So for birders in the Americas, this species should still be called by its familiar common name – the elegant, buoyant, and vocal common gallinule.
