Wading birdsRails, Gallinules, and Coots

Common Gallinule

Gallinula galeata

The common gallinule is a bird in the family Rallidae. It was split from the common moorhen by the American Ornithologists' Union in July 2011. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands in the Americas. The common gallinule is one of the most conspicuous rail species in North America, along with the American coot.

Where it's been seen

Hotspots with reports in the last 30 days.

Not reported in Travis County in the last 30 days

Browse species seen recently

Loading recent sightings…

2026 in Travis County

From every checklist reported in the county this year: who found it first, who finds it most, and when.

First of 2026: Mar 29 · Holly Erickson at Hornsby Bend (HOTE 037)
Latest report: Aug 16 · Lucy Flanagan at Southeast Metro Pk (Travis)
Reported on: 11 checklists, 8 days
High count, 2026: 2 · Jun 1 · Eric Feldkamp at Southeast Metro Pk (Travis)

Who finds it most

1. Brett Roberts · 2 lists
2. Emily Hjalmarson · 2 lists
3. Lucy Flanagan · 2 lists
4. Eric Feldkamp · 1 list
5. Holly Erickson · 1 list

Loading this year…

Through the year

Year-round

Common Gallinule: share of complete checklists, 2016–2026

Show as table

Common Gallinule: share of complete checklists, 2016–2026
Week	Checklists reporting it
Jan 1–7	0.1%
Jan 8–14	0.2%
Jan 15–21	0.4%
Jan 22–end	0.6%
Feb 1–7	0.7%
Feb 8–14	0.1%
Feb 15–21	0.2%
Feb 22–end	0.2%
Mar 1–7	<0.1%
Mar 8–14	<0.1%
Mar 15–21	0%
Mar 22–end	<0.1%
Apr 1–7	<0.1%
Apr 8–14	0.2%
Apr 15–21	<0.1%
Apr 22–end	<0.1%
May 1–7	<0.1%
May 8–14	<0.1%
May 15–21	<0.1%
May 22–end	<0.1%
Jun 1–7	0.2%
Jun 8–14	0.3%
Jun 15–21	<0.1%
Jun 22–end	0.1%
Jul 1–7	1%
Jul 8–14	0.6%
Jul 15–21	0.2%
Jul 22–end	0.1%
Aug 1–7	0%
Aug 8–14	0%
Aug 15–21	<0.1%
Aug 22–end	<0.1%
Sep 1–7	<0.1%
Sep 8–14	<0.1%
Sep 15–21	<0.1%
Sep 22–end	0.2%
Oct 1–7	0.1%
Oct 8–14	0.5%
Oct 15–21	0.4%
Oct 22–end (now)	0.3%
Nov 1–7	0.3%
Nov 8–14	<0.1%
Nov 15–21	0.1%
Nov 22–end	0.2%
Dec 1–7	0.1%
Dec 8–14	0.4%
Dec 15–21	0.3%
Dec 22–end	0.2%

This week: Rare · 0.3% of checklists
Earliest eBird record here: Oct 28, 1959
Checklists reporting it: 596 across 37 years
eBird high count: 8 (Dec 17, 2011)
First of 2026: Mar 29
All year, here vs Texas: 0.2% of checklists here, 4% statewide
Texas counties with records: 148 of 254 since 2016

Best hotspots for it

Share of complete checklists at each hotspot that reported it (2016–2026). Hotspots with fewer than 15 checklists are left out, and the order discounts small samples, so a hotspot with few checklists can sit below one with a lower share.

1Southeast Greenway, Mueller6% of 899
2Travis Co.- McCallen Pass Pond4% of 27
3Lake Pflugerville1% of 346
4Barkley Meadows Park0.5% of 221
5Walter E. Long Lake (HOTE-036)0.4% of 274
6Platt Lane (Travis Co.)0.2% of 466
7Lake Travis--Bob Wentz Windy Point Pk0.1% of 779
8Hornsby Bend (HOTE 037)0.2% of 3,769

From the eBird Basic Dataset (Sep-2026), complete checklists only.

Loading history…