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ViewsWater RailFrom Opus
[edit] Identification25–28 cm (9¾-11 in) [edit] Similar speciesBrown-cheeked Rail is very similar, differing in browner, less grey cheeks and flanks; it can usually be separated on range, but overlaps locally with Water Rail on their wintering grounds in southern Asia. Young juvenile Common Moorhen is sometimes mistaken for Water Rail by novice birders. [edit] DistributionBreeds throughout most of Europe except for the northern half of Scandinavia; also western and central Asia, and northernmost Africa. Western and southern populations are resident, while northeastern birds are migratory. Winters mostly within the southern and western half of the breeding range but also more widely in north Africa and southwestern Asia, and a few reaching east to India and southeastern China. [edit] TaxonomyBrown-cheeked Rail used to be included in this species as a subspecies1. [edit] SubspeciesThere are three subspecies1, 2:
[edit] HabitatReedbeds, marshes, etc. [edit] BehaviourA skulker, this bird is much more often located by its piglet-like squeals. Food includes both invertebrates and plant materials like seeds. [edit] VocalisationListen in an external program [edit] References
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