Sunday, October 30, 2011

Common Moorhen

The Moorhen is the most widely distributed Rail in North America, but this is the first I've ever seen of them in the wild. They resemble American Coots with their general anatomy and forehead shields. The Moorhens are much more comfortable walking atop reeds and pond growth, and conversely is much poorer swimmer than the Coot. Their facial shield is also a candy corn yellow and red, which makes the bird easy to spot and identify when it's in the open.


Here is a juvenile



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