Appearance:

Relatively large wader with long orange or greenish (juveniles) legs. Scaly back and medium long, slightly curved and heavy bill. Male in breeding plumage unmistakable with ruff in various colours and patterns. Characteristic upright posture and body shape with long neck, small head and humped back. Conspicuous white oval patches at upper base of tail. Notable difference in size between sexes (male largest). Often seen feeding in meadows and fields when away from breeding ground.

Sound:

Generally silent. Short, muted, nasal, mono or disyllabic grunts sometimes heard.

Social sound:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-photo:A.J. Haverkamp, Licence,Link,

Sounds:Recorded by Jarek Matusiak,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

Appearance:

Largely unmistakable. All black, with white frontal shield and pale bill. Very stocky build. Lacks the white lateral stripe and white under tail-coverts of Moorhen. White trailing edge of wings visible in flight. Juveniles paler and more grey than adults, often with whitish front and neck. Under tail-coverts are dark, unlike juvenile Moorhen.

Sound:

Varied. Usually short, metallic and explosive. Most diagnostic call a very short, sharp and explosive "tsk". Sometimes a longer, less sharp but nasal "caw", with varying harshness.

Various calls:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC