- 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
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Basai Wetland, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, 18 June 2015
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.
Vocalisation
Recording by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, India, July-2016
A male is giving his trademark grunting call, partially hidden in grass.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. 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 27 July 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Watercock
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1