gallinule

American  

[gal-uh-nool, -nyool] / ˈgæl əˌnul, -ˌnyul /

noun

1. any aquatic bird of the family Rallidae, having elongated, webless toes.

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gallinule British  

/ ˈɡælɪˌnjuːl /

noun

1. any of various aquatic birds of the genera Porphyrio and Porphyrula, typically having a dark plumage, red bill, and a red shield above the bill: family Rallidae (rails)

2. the US name for moorhen

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Etymology

Origin of gallinule

1770–80; < New Latin Gallinula a genus name, Late Latin gallīnula chicken, equivalent to Latin gallīn ( a ) hen + -ula -ule

Example Sentences

Elaine, who visited the Everglades occasionally when she lived in Miami, knows a purple gallinule when she sees one.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2023

Those who live in or near high-rises often find birds that flew into the buildings at night, and two birds — a peregrine falcon and a common gallinule — were among the most noteworthy donations.

From Washington Post • Dec. 21, 2016

Rail and gallinule may be shot in New York and Washington throughout October and November.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sultan, sul′tan, n. a Mohammedan sovereign, esp. the supreme head of the Ottoman empire: a purple or hyacinthine gallinule, or porphyrio: a small white variety of the domestic hen:—fem.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Nearly every such place contained at least one Florida gallinule; but where were the "purples," about which we kept talking,—the "royal purples," concerning whose beauty my boy was so eloquent?

From A Florida Sketch-Book by Torrey, Bradford