Common Moorhen

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Common Moorhen in Saguaro National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Moorhen sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 5,297 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

Q: When is the best time to see Common Moorhen in Saguaro National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Common Moorhen in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

Gallinula chloropus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderGruiformes (Cranes, Rails, and Allies)
FamilyRallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots)
GenusGallinula (Typical Moorhens)
SpeciesGallinula chloropus (Common Moorhen)

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

at Saguaro National Park

5,297 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026

34,914 Verified sightings across all 173 parks From 2019 to 2026

December Best month highest sighting rate

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Common Moorhen

The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), also known as the waterhen, is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae). It is distributed across many parts of the Old World, across Africa, Europe, and Asia. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests; generally it is one of the most common Old World rail species, together with the Eurasian coot in some regions.

The common moorhen was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it in the genus Fulica and coined the binomial name Fulica chloropus. The common moorhen is now one of five extant species placed in the genus Gallinula that was introduced in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. The genus name is from Latin gallinula meaning "little hen" or "little chicken". The specific epithet chloropus combines the Ancient Greek khlōros χλωρός meaning "green" and pous (πούς) meaning "foot".

The closely related common gallinule G. galeata of the New World, and the tristan moorhen G. nesiotis and gough moorhen G. comeri of the Tristan... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Fulica americana

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Porzana carolina

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Porphyrio martinica

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Rallus limicola

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Grus canadensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Keoladeo National Park	🇮🇳 India	~70%
2	Lago de Yojoa	🇭🇳 Honduras	~60%
3	Jaragua National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	~60%
4	Doñana National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~60%
5	Ranthambore National Park	🇮🇳 India	~50%
6	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~30%
7	Snowdonia National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~30%
8	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	~30%
9	Golden Gate Highlands National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~30%
10	Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	~30%
11	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~30%
12	Hortobágy National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~20%
13	Caroni Swamp	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	~20%
14	Kiskunság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~20%
15	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
16	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~20%
17	Cordillera Azul National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	~20%
18	Camargue	🇫🇷 France	~20%
19	Los Haitises National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	~20%
20	Monfragüe National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~20%
21	Galápagos Islands	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~20%
22	Ankarafantsika National Park	🇲🇬 Madagascar	~20%
23	Namib-Naukluft National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	~20%
24	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~20%
25	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
26	Chitwan National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	~10%
27	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
28	Aberdare National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
29	Iberá National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~10%
30	Biebrza National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	~10%
31	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
32	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~10%
33	Sierra Nevada National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~10%
34	Amboró National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	~10%
35	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
36	Royal Bardia National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	~10%
37	Fertő-Hanság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~10%
38	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
39	Kerinci Seblat National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~10%
40	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
41	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
42	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
43	Bavarian Forest National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~10%
44	Etosha National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	~10%
45	Biotopo Cerro Cahuí	🇬🇹 Guatemala	~10%
46	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
47	Mudumalai National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
48	Cairngorms National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~10%
49	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	~10%
50	Tijuca National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~10%
51	Tikal National Park	🇬🇹 Guatemala	~10%
52	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
53	Pyrénées National Park	🇫🇷 France	~10%
54	Kaziranga National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
55	Volcanoes National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	~10%
56	Pilanesberg National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
57	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
58	Yala National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~10%
59	Wilpattu National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~10%
60	Amboseli National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
61	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	~10%
62	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
63	Calakmul Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
64	Kaeng Krachan National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	~10%
65	El Impenetrable National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~10%
66	Chapada Diamantina National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
67	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
68	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	<5%
69	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
70	Aigüestortes National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
71	Satpura National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
72	Huascarán National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
73	Lake Mburo National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
74	Gauja National Park	🇱🇻 Latvia	<5%
75	Henri Pittier National Park	🇻🇪 Venezuela	<5%
76	Jiuzhaigou National Park	🇨🇳 China	<5%
77	Iguazú National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	<5%
78	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
79	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
80	Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park	🇨🇱 Chile	<5%
81	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
82	Białowieża National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	<5%
83	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
84	Serra dos Órgãos National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
85	Bandhavgarh National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
86	Sierra de Guadarrama National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
87	Kafue National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	<5%
88	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
89	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
90	Jim Corbett National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
91	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
92	Manas National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
93	Itatiaia National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
94	Kanha National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
95	Iguaçu National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
96	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
97	Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park	🇯🇲 Jamaica	<5%
98	Sundarbans National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
99	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
100	Doi Inthanon National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	<5%
101	Nyungwe National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
102	Manu National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
103	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
104	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
105	Lauca National Park	🇨🇱 Chile	<5%
106	Khao Yai National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	<5%
107	Samburu National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
108	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
109	Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park	🇲🇳 Mongolia	<5%
110	Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary	🇲🇾 Malaysia	<5%
111	Nagarhole National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
112	Death Valley National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
113	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
114	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
115	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
116	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
117	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
118	Waterberg Plateau Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	Insufficient data
119	Bandipur National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
120	Mercantour National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
121	Noel Kempff Mercado National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	Insufficient data
122	Gir National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
123	Way Kambas National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
124	Ecrins National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
125	Lower Zambezi National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	Insufficient data
126	Niokolo-Koba National Park	🇸🇳 Senegal	Insufficient data
127	Kidepo Valley National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
128	Cévennes National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
129	Gorongosa National Park	🇲🇿 Mozambique	Insufficient data
130	Mkomazi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
131	Plitvice Lakes National Park	🇭🇷 Croatia	Insufficient data
132	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	Insufficient data
133	Serra da Canastra National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
134	Gonarezhou National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
135	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
136	Paracas National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	Insufficient data
137	Madidi National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	Insufficient data
138	Mana Pools National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
139	Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
140	Main Ridge Forest Reserve	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	Insufficient data
141	Gunung Leuser National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
142	El Palmar National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	Insufficient data
143	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
144	Cuc Phuong National Park	🇻🇳 Vietnam	Insufficient data
145	Minneriya National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	Insufficient data
146	Cajas National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	Insufficient data
147	Pico Bonito National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
148	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
149	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
150	Nikko National Park	🇯🇵 Japan	Insufficient data
151	Chingaza National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
152	Congaree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
153	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
154	Podocarpus National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	Insufficient data
155	Cat Tien National Park	🇻🇳 Vietnam	Insufficient data
156	Ranomafana National Park	🇲🇬 Madagascar	Insufficient data
157	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
158	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
159	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
160	Joshua Tree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
161	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
162	Masaya Volcano National Park	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	Insufficient data
163	Big Bend National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
164	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
165	Sinharaja Forest Reserve	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	Insufficient data
166	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
167	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
168	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
169	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
170	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
171	Vatnajokull National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	Insufficient data
172	Farallones de Cali National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
173	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Common Moorhen in Saguaro National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Moorhen sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 5,297 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Common Moorhen in Saguaro National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Common Moorhen in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Saguaro National Park

Common Moorhen

About the Common Moorhen

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

American Coot

Sora

American Purple Gallinule

Virginia Rail

Sandhill Crane

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Quick answers