Common Gallinule at Essex Woods 5/19

[Karen Johnson]

Very distinctive vocalizing.

Did not see it.

from All About Birds

"Common Gallinules make all sorts of chickenlike clucks, whinnies, cackles, squawks, and yelps. They often call while hidden from view, leaving you wondering what lurks in the marsh. The rapid series of clucks sounds vaguely raptorlike, but the series often ends with what sounds like a laugh. Their squawks can be low-pitched and grating or high-pitched and piercing. They tend to mix and match calls, throwing in a squawk or cluck after a cackle or vice versa. They are more vocal during the breeding season from April–June."