Gough Island Moorhen
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| Gallinula comeri (Allen, 1892) |
The Gough Island Moorhen Gallinula comeri is a medium-sized, almost flightless bird that is similar to the common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) but is smaller, stockier and with shorter wings. The bird has a distinctive bill that is reddish with a yellow tip. It is found only on two remote islands in the South Atlantic; endemic to Gough Island and on Tristan da Cunha where it was introduced to in 1956.
On Gough Island it appears that the bird's future status is secure with the island being a nature reserve and a World Heritage Site. In the mid 1990s it was estimated that 2500 breeding pairs existed on Gough Island. Gough Island is considered the least disturbed major cool-temperate island ecosystem in the South Atlantic Ocean, and hosts one of the most important sea-bird colonies in the world containing 54 bird species, 22 breeding species and four threatened species. However, on Tristan da Cunha it is not classified as a native species and not protected.
[edit] External links
- ARKive - images and movies of the Gough Island Moorhen (Gallinula comeri)
- "Description of a new gallinule, from Gough Island" - J.A. Allen, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol.4, Art.6, 1892. p. 57-58
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