The moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), also known simply as the water hen, is a medium-sized bird found in aquatic environments such as ponds, pools and rivers with dense vegetation. It is distinguished by its slate-black to dark blue plumage with brown highlights on the wings, enhanced by a distinctive white line along the flanks. Its conical, pointed beak is bright red with a yellow tip and topped by a characteristic red frontal plate. Its legs are long, greenish-yellow and non-webbed, allowing it to move easily on floating vegetation. The moorhen is approximately 32 to 38 cm long with a wingspan of 50 to 55 cm and a weight ranging from 260 to 400 g.
Very comfortable in water and on land, the moorhen is omnivorous: it feeds on aquatic plants, seeds and berries as well as small animals (insects, molluscs, larvae). Always on the alert, it can be shy or friendly depending on the context, becoming noisy and vigorously defending its territory during the breeding season. Its characteristic nodding of the head when swimming and of the tail when walking makes it easy to spot. It builds well-hidden nests in vegetation and can have several broods each year, with the young from the first brood sometimes helping to feed those from the second.
Sources: Perplexity.ai & oiseaux.net
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