Moorhen

Moorhen (gallinula chloropus) is widely widespread kind. It occupies all continents, in except Australia. In Belarus it is a usual kind in all territory, but not very numerous. Its favorite places of nesting are superficial, it is strong overgrown with vegetation reservoirs surfaces. Moorhen meets on a coastal zone of lakes, water basins, fish-breeding ponds, on former riverbeds. This bird lodges even on the small bogs located in fluvial meadows, in downturn among fields and keeps mainly in thickets, occasionally coming up on pure water. Caught on the open water moorhen quickly escapes or departs to the thickets. It falls into thickets almost vertically. It is easy to distinguish moorhen from other birds on characteristic high landing with the lifted back part of a trunk and to a manner to float, pulling the top of a tail and shaking a head. It has fast, rectilinear flight; legs in flight are extended back. Autumnal flying away of birds begins in August and comes to the end in September. As well as for other waterfowl birds, the basic adverse factor for moorhen is the drainage of fluvial meadows and the general reduction of the area of water biotopes. Owing to the good masking of nests, its destruction from ruin by sulfur black and marsh harrier is low. It is extracted only during the hunting for ducks.