IMoorhen > Gallinula chloropus
Description: Length approx. 33cm. Easily recognised by sooty-black body colour, red base to bill, greenish-yellow legs, white line along the side and white undertail coverts with black central line. The white side line and undertail pattern also distinguish the immature from young Coot. The tail is held high and is jerked both when swimming and walking.

Call: Large repertoire of calls; eg a very characteristic sudden bubbling 'pyurrrrk' and a sharp 'kurruk'.

Feeding habits: Varied diet, including leaves, seeds, berries, worms, snails and fish.

Nest: Mound of waterside vegetation, reeds, sticks etc, collected from the vicinity and usually contsructed in the middle of waterside reeds etc.

Habitat and range: Common by a variety of waterside habitats throughout the UK: marshes, ponds, lakes with shore vegetation. Often seen in parks, where it will walk about on the grass.

Return to BirdsSPACEReturn to main index