- Gallicrex cinerea
Identification
Male 42–43 cm (16½-17 in); Female 36 cm (14 in)
Male
- Blackish-grey
- Red legs, bill, forehead shield and horn
Young males
- Buff, darkening with age
- Yellow bill
- Green legs
Female
- Dark brown upperparts
- Paler underparts
- Streaked and barred with darker markings
- Yellow bill
- Green legs
Chicks are black.
Distribution
South Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south China, Japan and Indonesia.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Lowlands marshes, swamps, rice fields, flooded pastures etc.
Behaviour
Breeding
They nest on the dry ground in marsh vegetation. Their clutch consists of 3-6 eggs.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of green shoots, seeds and rice. They also eat worms, molluscs, aquatic insect and larva.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Watercock. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Watercock
External Links
