Gallinula chloropus

Likely to be the most common rail species at any of your local marshes, ponds, canals and wetlands (bar the coot), the common moorhen is easy to see as well as identify. Its larger size and red (not yellow) beak with a yellow tip makes it easy to distinguish from its smaller, more secretive cousin; the lesser moorhen.

We first recorded this species in January 2010 at Zoo Lake in Johannesberg and have seen it on just about every bird outing since them (almost).