Common Gallinule
Common Gallinule has risen sharply: up 72% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Common Gallinule
The Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) is a North American member of the Rails, Gallinules & Coots (Rallidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 6–19 in long (15–48 cm) — a marsh-dwelling waterbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 294 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 31 states, most concentrated in the Peninsular Florida.
- Family
- Rallidae · Wetland birds
Notable Common Gallinule Trends
No notable trend signals for Common Gallinule. See the full index history below.
Common Gallinule Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Common Gallinule is projected to rise about 44% by 2029 — from 0.08 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.12 (95% range 0.00–0.24). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±128.1%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.23 |
| 2026 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.23 |
| 2027 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.23 |
| 2028 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.24 |
| 2029 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.24 |
Where the Common Gallinule Is Detected
BBS routes recording Common Gallinule, sized by most recent count.
Common Gallinule Population Trend by State
| Alabama | +99% | 1977 | 11 |
| Arizona | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Arkansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| California | -82% | 1971 | 30 |
| Connecticut | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Delaware | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Florida | -38% | 1968 | 83 |
| Georgia | -15% | 1976 | 19 |
| Illinois | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Indiana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Kansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Kentucky | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Louisiana | +378% | 1971 | 36 |
| Maine | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Maryland | -27% | 1975 | 3 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Michigan | -86% | 1973 | 7 |
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Mississippi | +207% | 1999 | 3 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Jersey | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New York | -49% | 1970 | 15 |
| North Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Pennsylvania | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| South Carolina | +175% | 2002 | 5 |
| Tennessee | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Texas | +50% | 1969 | 40 |
| Utah | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Wisconsin | -61% | 1968 | 6 |
Common Gallinule Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -58% | 1970 | 21 |
| Oaks and Prairies | +17% | 1994 | 4 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -85% | 1970 | 3 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -75% | 1968 | 16 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | +1% | 1994 | 7 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | +283% | 1985 | 15 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +59% | 1973 | 53 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +46% | 1975 | 7 |
| Peninsular Florida | -50% | 1968 | 68 |
| Coastal California | -86% | 1971 | 22 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | -36% | 1978 | 8 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | -92% | 1970 | 12 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | 11× | 1969 | 39 |
Common Gallinule Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 72% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.