The Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa) is a medium-sized bird in the Rail family.

The Dusky Moorhen is dark grey-black with brown shades, with white under its tail. It has a red frontal shield above its yellow-tipped red beak. It has orange-yellow legs, with no webbing between its four toes. It has orange-brown eyes.

Dusky Moorhen

It grows to about 25-38 centimetres (10-15 inches) tall.

The Dusky Moorhen is native to India, Australia, New Guinea, Borneo, and Indonesia. It is a wetland bird, found in marshes and swamps.

It builds a nest of reeds or grasses at the water’s edge. Females lay 5–11 eggs that are covered with red-brown dots and splotches.

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM