Corn Crake

Crex crex

The Corn Crake is a member of the Rail family-- a group of birds that can be found on every continent but Antarctica, and who are often found in wetland areas. Corn Crakes themselves are migratory, breeding in Europe and Asia and wintering in southern Africa. They inhabit lowland meadows, grasslands, and wetland areas.

It can be difficult to spot these birds because their tawny coloration blends in so well with the grasses that they live among. They spend most of their time on the ground, feeding mainly on invertebrates that live there.

They also do their nesting on the ground as well. When it comes to breeding, it is the female who incubates and cares for the chicks-- the males leave after mating to find another female. In order to attract females, the males make very grating calls that can be heard from over a mile away!

Until very recently (2010), the Corn Crakes were listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN. It looked like their European populations were declining, despite the massive range. In fact, at one point there were less than 600 adults males in the United Kingdom, where they were once populous. The bird were bumped to Least Concern because numbers are on the rise, and because the global population is still very large (estimated to be more than 8 million breeding birds in Europe and Asia).

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Africa, Europe, Asia
Size : Body length 12in (60cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Gruiformes
Family : Rallidae -- Genus : Crex -- Species : C. crex

Image : Richard Wesley

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Common Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

Meet the Common Moorhen, a very distinctive looking bird that has black plumage, a bright red and yellow beak, and gigantic feet. Those feet are used to walk across floating vegetation and mud. They aren't webbed, like the feet of many other waterbirds, but the Common Moorhens can swim pretty well nonetheless.

These birds are the most widely distributed members of the entire Rail Family, and can be found on every continent save Antarctica! There are currently twelve different subspecies, which all differ slightly by size and plumage.

One very distinct thing about the Common Moorhens is their breeding behavior. While most of their relatives have the males fight over the females, it is the female Moohens that fight over the males! After mating, both parents will incubate and care for the young, and newly hatched offspring are precocial, feeding themselves after only a few days.

The species as a whole is not at threat for extinction, but some local populations are in trouble. The Hawaiian and Mariana subspecies are considered Endangered, due to habitat loss.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Worldwide
Size : Body Length up to 15in (38cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves --Order : Gruiformes
Family : Rallidae -- Genus : Gallinula -- Species : G. chloropus

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Takahe

Like the Kakapo, the Takahe is a colorful, flightless bird endemic to New Zealand. Also like the Kakapo, Takahe are on the brink of extinction, with less than 200 birds remaining. They were even believed to be extinct previous to 1948, as no one had seen them in decades. The population is now divided between a handful of protected, predator-free areas.

(Image Source)

Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri) are the largest members of the family Rallidae, measuring up to two feet in length and weighing 5-9lbs. As mentioned, they are flightless, and have small wings that are used for displays of both aggression and courtship. They are primarily blue in color, with green on the back and bright pink beaks and legs. Young birds are born almost completely black, including on the beak. They can their color as they age, and reach sexual maturity around three years old. Both parents care for their chicks for the 30 day incubation and three months of feeding, though usually only one of the 1-3 chicks that hatch will survive their first winter. Takahe can live up to twenty years.

Why are Takahe so threatened? They evolved to be flightless in an environment that had few ground predators or large competitors for food. Introduction of deer, dogs, and other non-native animals had detrimental effect on the population. Habitat loss and hunting have also played a part, and because Takahe reproduce slowly, bringing back their numbers can take a very long time. Breeding itself is even difficult because loss of genetic diversity has created infertile birds.

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American Coot

(Image Source)

I injured my back a few days ago and spent a lot of time on the sofa watching nature documentaries. I finished up Great Migrations and in the process noticed a neat looking little bird that apparently lives (for at least part of the year anyway) right in my proverbial back yard, though I've never seen one. I really feel like I need to take up bird watching. Hmm.

Anyway, the species in question is the American Coot (Fulica americana), a gregarious waterbird of the Rallidae family that can be found in just about every part of North America during some part of the year. Birds that reside in the Western United States and Mexico are residential, while other populations are migratory, heading up to Eastern Canada, the Midwest, and the American Northeast in order to breed.

American Coots spend their lives on or near water, though interestingly, they do not have webbed feet like ducks do. They swim and dive for their food, and they are very opportunistic feeders. American Coots eat both plant material, as well as other animals such as snails, tadpoles, and fish.

Young Coots are precocial, which means that they are able to swim and feed themselves very quickly after hatching. Parents build nests that float on the water, and females lay 6-11 eggs that are incubated by both the mother and father. They may build multiple nests, which are then used by the family to roost.

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