Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Linnaeus       Field Guide IDs: NG-148; G-106; PE-64; PW-pl 24; AE-pl 247; AW-pl 246; AM(I)-306 Nest Location Nest Type Eggs & Mating System Dev. & Parental Care Primary & 2ndary Diet.. Foraging Strategy MF I: 19-22 DAYS PRECOCIAL 4 GROUND SHRUB CUP MF 5-8 (2-13) COOP F: 40-50+ DAYS MF+ SNAILS INSECTS SEEDS GROUND ..... GLEAN FOLIAGE .....GLEAN BREEDING: Freshwater marshes, lakes, and ponds, usu with emergent veg and grassy edges. Occ 2, rarely 3, broods. DISPLAYS: With head low, wings partly raised and open, elevates tail exposing white undertail feathers. Male bends head down and in toward feet; male and female bow. NEST: Usu over water (with ramps leading down to water), occ on ground or in low shrub. Occ with canopy. Well-rimmed cup of conspicuous bleached aquatic plants, lined with grass. Unused nests, brooding and roosting platforms nearby. Occ use old nest of jays, magpies. EGGS: Cinnamon/buff, marked with reddish-brown or olive. 1.7" (44 mm). DIET: Mostly aquatic veg; also mollusks (esp snails), worms; berries, fruit. CONSERVATION: Winters s to c S.A. NOTES: Cooperative breeder with young of first brood often aiding in care of subsequent broods and in defense of territory. Brood parasitism: clutches >13 likely result from >1 female laying in nest. Younger birds lay smaller clutches than older birds and lay later. Young usu hatch asynchronously. Wing spur aids young in climbing. STANFORD. NOTES: ESSAYS: Cooperative Breeding; Thin as a Rail; Variation in Clutch Sizes; Brood Parasitism; American Coots. REFERENCES: Cramp and Simmons, 1980; Petrie, 1986.