The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), also known as the waterhen, is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae). It is distributed across many parts of the Old World, across
Africa, Europe, and Asia. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests; generally it is one of the commonest Old World rail species, together with the Eurasian coot in some regions.
DESCRIPTION
The moorhen is a distinctive species, with predominantly black and brown plumage, with the exception of a white under-tail, white streaks on the flanks, yellow legs and a red frontal shield. The bill is red with a yellow tip. The young are browner and lack the red shield. The frontal shield of the adult has a rounded top and fairly parallel sides; the tailward margin of the red unfeathered area is a smooth waving line. The subspecies G. c. meridionalis is smaller than the nominate, has slaty blue-grey upperwing coverts and lacks the olive wash. Subspecies G. c. orientalis is similar to G. c. meridionalis but has a larger shield. Subspecies G. c. pyrrhorrhoa is darker than the nominate; subspecies G. c. pyrrhorrhoa has buff undertail coverts. In the related common gallinule (Gallinula galeata) of the Americas, the frontal shield has a fairly straight top and is less wide towards the bill, giving a marked indentation to the back margin of the red area.
The common moorhen gives a wide range of gargling calls and will emit loud hisses when threatened. A midsized to large rail, it can range from 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in) in length and span 50 to 62 cm (20 to 24 in) across the wings. The body mass of this species can range from 192 to 500 g (6.8 to 17.6 oz).
HABITATS & DISTRIBUTION
This is a common breeding and resident bird in marsh environments, rivers, well-vegetated lakes and even in city parks. Populations in areas where the waters freeze, such as eastern Europe, migrate to more temperate climates. In
China, common moorhen populations are largely resident south of the
Yangtze
River, whilst northern populations migrate in the winter; these populations show high genetic diversity.
FEEDING
This species will consume a wide variety of vegetable material and small aquatic creatures. They forage beside or in the
water, sometimes walking on lilypads or upending in the water to feed. They are often secretive, but can become tame in some areas. Despite loss of habitat in parts of its range, the common moorhen remains plentiful and widespread.
BREEDING
The birds are territorial during breeding season, and will fight with other members of their species, as well as other water birds such as ducks, to drive them out of their territory. The nest is a basket built on the ground in dense vegetation. Laying starts in spring, between mid-March and mid-May in Northern hemisphere temperate regions. About 8 eggs are usually laid per female early in the season; a brood later in the year usually has only 5–8 or fewer eggs. Nests may be re-used by different females. Incubation lasts about three weeks. Both parents incubate and feed the young. These fledge after 40–50 days, become independent usually a few weeks thereafter, and may raise their first brood the next spring. When threatened, the young may cling to the parents' body, after which the adult birds fly away to safety, carrying their offspring with them.
POPULATION & CONSERVATION STATUS
On a global scale (all subspecies taken together) the common moorhen is as abundant, as its vernacular name implies. It is therefore considered a species of Least Concern by the IUCN. However, small populations may be prone to extinction. The population of Palau, belonging to the widespread subspecies G. c. orientalis and locally known as debar (a generic term also used for ducks and meaning roughly "waterfowl"), is very rare, and apparently the birds are hunted by locals. Most of the population on the archipelago occurs on Angaur and Peleliu, while the species is probably already gone from Koror. In the Lake Ngardok wetlands of Babeldaob, a few dozen still occur, but the total number of common moorhens on Palau is about in the same region as the Guam population: fewer than 100 adult birds (usually fewer than 50) have been encountered in any survey.
Other localised groups of common moorhen are starting to come under threat. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the United Kingdom has the common moorhen classified as one of its 103 species whose conservation status is of moderate concern[19] due to its recent population decine. The number of breeding pairs has fallen to its lowest level in the UK since 1966[20] and has been protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).
The common moorhen is one of the birds (the other is the Eurasian coot, Fulica atra) from which the cyclocoelid flatworm parasite Cyclocoelum mutabile was first described. The bird is also parasitised by the moorhen flea Dasypsyllus gallinulae.
Moorhens are very tolerant of, and even thrive in anthropized habitats.
SUSSEX,
ENGLAND
Moorhens
have lived on the ponds in Herstmonceux
in East
Sussex for hundreds of years. The recent and mad building rush
orchestrated by Wealden
District Council, prsumably to feather their pension nests in the
short term, has resulted in housing estates cropping up all over
the region, with little thought of conservation.
Ponds are
frequently endangered by developers of housing estates, as is
this one near Herstmonceux
in East
Sussex, England. In this case, Latimer Homes and the Clarion
Housing group are proposing drainage that is sure to dry out the
ponds and cause major upset to the wildlife in this location
that depends on the water from adjacent fields to survive. This
is a whole ecosystem, including ducks, toads, fish, herons, and
great crested newts. The houses are more over development of
executive homes for renting landlords, where in the UK there is
an acute shortage of genuinely affordable housing, so
perpetuating the rent trap that young families cannot escape in
their lifetime. The A271
is already overloaded with traffic that routinely causes
dangerous potholes in the village high street every year. And
the proposed access is so dangerous that it has been named
locally: Suicide
Junction. It is unclear if the local farmer at Lime End Farm
is agreeable to the proposal, or if the local Wealden
District Council will be exercising their compulsory
purchase powers. The initial application in 2015 came as a shock
to local residents, with over 300 people attending the village
hall to object to yet more inappropriate local development. In
addition, the location is home to the only electricity
generating station in the world, featuring battery load
levelling from C. 1896. Hence, a potential UNESCOworld
heritage site.
This network of ponds has been sustained for over 40 years by surface water runoff from the adjacent field. This established flow of water has become a prescriptive right under the Prescription Act 1832, meaning that the continued flow of water cannot be legally obstructed after such a long period of uninterrupted use.
Diverting this water source will have a devastating impact on the ponds, likely leading to their desiccation and the destruction of the established ecosystem.
Critically, the pond network is an integral part of the setting of
the unique local heritage asset: the only surviving early electricity generating station
in Europe. This building is a significant historical landmark, and its setting, including the ponds and surrounding landscape, contributes significantly to its historical and architectural significance. The rural setting and surrounding countryside are part of the charm of the technology that nestles in this estate, as a time capsule. This historical and environmental context may well be protected by other conservation law, and that is now under threat. The proposed
land drainage diversion would severely compromise this historical setting and diminish the heritage value of the site.
BIRDS
Common
characteristics of birds include a bony beak
with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs,
high metabolic
rate, and a light but strong skeleton.
Most birds are characterised by flight,
though the ratites
are flightless, and several other species, particularly on
islands, have also lost this ability. Flightless birds include
the penguins, ostrich, kiwi,
and the extinct Dodo.
Flightless species are vulnerable to extinction when humans or
the mammals
they introduce arrive in their habitat. The Great
Auk, flightless rails,
and the moa
of New
Zealand, for example, all became extinct due to human
influence.
Birds
are among the most extensively studied of all animal groups.
Hundreds of academic journals and thousands of scientists are
devoted to bird research, while amateur enthusiasts (called
birdwatchers or, more commonly, birders)
probably number in the millions.
....
It's
sad to think that one day, the planet Earth may be gone.
This is despite our best efforts to save her. The good news is
that provided we all work together, we can preserve the status
quo on our beautiful blue world, for centuries to come.
Provided that is we heed the warnings nature is sending us, such
as global warming and other pollutions.