The best source of information on the population status of Common Gallinule is the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Although the BBS is a roadside survey and therefore not ideally designed for assessing wetland species, it is the only long-term source available for the Canadian population, and has medium precision and reliability overall. The Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) is better suited to detecting Common Gallinule, but has only been operating since 1995 in Ontario and 2004 in Quebec. The national BBS trend shows a large long-term decrease in abundance since the early 1970s, although less steeply in the last decade. The population is currently 92% lower than in the 1970s. The MMP results largely align, with shorter-term declines of 21% in Ontario and 36% in Quebec, despite slight rebounds in recent years which are likely due, at least in part, to increasing Great Lakes water levels, which improve breeding habitat quality for this species in Great Lakes coastal wetlands (Tozer et al., 2024). The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario also showed a large decline in all regions of the province between 1981-1985 and 2001-2005, despite little change in distribution (Timmermans, 2007).

The goal for Common Gallinulte is to increase the population to the level it was at in the early 1970s, based on the Breeding Bird Survey. Trend data show that Common Gallinule is far below its goal range and its population decline is ongoing. The trend will need to stabilize before the population can begin to rebound, and it is not realistic for the goal to be met by 2050. Based on analysis of the historical population loss and potential growth rates, the interim target is to reach 25% of the goal by that year. Achieving this target, and ultimately reaching the national goal for this species, will require ambitious and long-term conservation action.