(Click on picture to enlarge)
© 1999 Walter Bauer, Sugar Land, Texas
Field Marks: A chicken like, semi
aquatic bird of freshwater marshes and vegetated shores. Lacks the webbing or
extensive lobes on toes, yet swims frequently, pumping its head. Its flight is
fluttery and awkward. Breeding adults have head and neck uniform dark gray,
blending into medium gray body. White stripe along top of flanks; back brown;
under tail coverts white and black; some white on belly; yellow-tipped bright
red bill, with broad red frontal shield on forehead. Its legs and large feet
yellow-green. Wintering adults similar, but with very dusky bill. Juvenile, dull
buffy gray with white smudges below; throat white; face buff; bill dull, with
small frontal shield.
Voice: A croaking kr-r-ruk repeated, a
froglike kup; also kek,kek,kek and hen like notes, loud, complaining.
Where found: S. Canada south to S.
America; also Euripi, Asia, Africa.
Texas: Summers in e. half of Texas
from Red River to Brownsville west at least to Vernon, Dallas, Austin, San
Antonio, Uvalde; also at El Paso. Winters mainly near coast and along lower Rio
Grande.
Habitat: Fresh marshes, swamps, reedy ponds, Resaca's.
Nest: A shallow saucer of reeds usually over water, anchored in reeds or semi-floating. Eggs (8-14) spotted.