Moorhens are generally monogamous and pair bonds can last for several years. • Moorhens can fly, but they aren’t very good at it and will only go short distances at any one time. Moorhens lay up to 21 smooth and glossy, greyish-white eggs with reddish-brown markings. Both sexes incubate the eggs for up to 19-22 days and chicks fledge at 42-49 days. Moorhens are excellent swimmers at the early age, but they lose this ability later in life. They learn to fly 7 weeks after hatching, but they stay with their parents until the autumn to … The scientific name of the common moorhen is Gallinula chloropus. Common moorhens breed from April to August. The female lays a clutch of 6–10 eggs, and may lay 2–3 clutches in a season. Most can fly by 7 weeks of age. Adults have a dark brown back and wings, and a white stripe along their side. Moorhen Scientific Name. In the Lake Ngardok wetlands of Babeldaob, a few dozen still occur, but the total number of Common Moorhens on Palau is about in the same region as the Guam population; less than 100 adult birds (usually less than 50) have been encountered in any survey. • Moorhens will eat other birds’ eggs if they can get to them. Some species can’t do so at all. The Moorhen, (Gallinula chloropus), is common bird in the Rallidae family. The young, however, stay with their parents until the fall to help raise later broods. They are in the same family as coots, and their nervous behaviour has led them to being called 'Skitty Coots' in some areas. Moorhens. The are not 'moor' birds, the name being a corruption of 'merehen'. Moorhens are about 13 inches (33 cm) long with the sexes just about indistinguishable. Moorhens ringed in Denmark and the Some species can’t do so at all. The nest is a basket built on the ground in dense vegetation. The birds are territorial during breeding season. Moorhens are often found at parks and can become quite tame. • Young moorhens from previous hatchings often help to care for their parents’ new babies. Others are adventurous travellers. Breeding. Moorhens have red beaks with a yellow tip and blueish heads and underparts. Young moorhens are able to find food on their own at the age of 3 weeks. Laying starts in spring, between mid-March and mid-May in Northern hemisphere temperate regions. On a global scale – all subspecies taken together –, the Common Moorhen is as abundant as its vernacular name implies. They are often secretive, but can become tame in some areas. Common moorhens are known to swallow sand and gravels in order to help digest the vegetal food. Heavy, and with large rear-ends, rails are reluctant to fly. Unlike ducks, both parents incubate typically 8 eggs and feed the young on insects etc. Fledging Duration At 3 weeks of age, young chicks can forage for themselves. During the breeding season, Common moorhens build several nests; once the chicks leave the main nest, they will use the rest nests for sleeping at night. Despite loss of habitat in parts of its range, the common moorhen remains plentiful and widespread.