The Common Gallinule has wide enough feet to walk on water lily pads. It prefers densely packed wetlands for grazing and hunting. The bright red shield part of the beak difffentiates it from the Mudhen. Toward the top of it’s legs are also red accents. Copyright 2026 Pamela BreitbergThe Common Gallinule is considered a rail species, meaning it’s “thin as a rail”. It’s often seen upside down in the water when catching small fish or eating plants. Though behavior is considered secretive they are quite common in dense wetlands. Copyright 2026 Pamela BreitbergThe red beak is what caught my attention to this Common Gallinule. Copyright 2026 Pamela BreitbergCopyright 2026 Pamela BreitbergIt’s easy to mistake the wetlands at Green Cay Nature Center as ground cover; plantlife grows quite densely. A favorite habitat for Common Gallinule. Copyright 2026 Pamela Breitberg
