Common Gallinule
Where to Look
- Lagoons and wetlands on larger islands
- Santa Cruz Highlands
Similar Galapagos Species
Paint-billed Crake
Identification
Easily distinguished from all other Galapagos species by large, overall black appearance and white flank stripes.
Description
Adults are overall blackish with white stripes along their flanks and white feathers along the sides of its undertail . They have a red bill with a yellow tip, a red frontal shield and yelowish green legs with a difficult to observe red marking near the top. Juveniles are overall browner than adults, have darker, less yellow legs and feet, a brownish bill and no red-frontal shield.
Galapagos Distribution
Found on lagoons throughout the main archipelago.
Global Distribution
Outside of the Galapagos, this species can be found throughout the Eastern and Southern USA, South across Central America and the Carribean and into South America, where it is found across a large part of the Continent, outside of dry deserts and the Amazon River Basin.
Status in the Galapagos
Common resident.