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Gallinula mortierii
The Tasmanian Nativehen is a stocky flightless bird between 43 and 51 centimetres (17 and 20 in) in length. The upperparts are olive brown with a white patch on the flank. The underparts are darker with a bluish grey tinge. The short tail is close to black and mostly held erect. The legs are thick and powerful, with a grey scaly appearance and sharp claws. The eyes are bright red. The bill has a small frontal shield and is a greenish yellow colour.
The Tasmanian Nativehen is a sedentary species, living around open grassy areas close to water. It is widespread in Tasmania apart from the west and south west regions
Endemic to Tasmania.
9 Comments
Congrats Lori, this spotting was featured in our bird quiz! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...
They're in the Rail family, Alice, so they are well adapted to walking on marsh plants. They're also fine swimmers, even if they ride a bit low in the water.
Their feet are fascinating!
Oops. My typing sucks, Mark. Or hadn't you noticed by now?
Great shots lori.tas. A beautiful native Tasmanian! and I really like the name you chose for her too... Tasmanina has a lovely Italian ring to it.
Lovely :)
How special! He's really lovely :)
It's the least colorful of our hens Leanne, but they're very common in in urban and suburban surrounds, and on the roadside verges. Since they're Tasmanian only, we have a special place in our heart for them.
Cool!