BUSTARDS AND RAILS

RAILS

These two families belong to the same species as the crane. Rails are a small to medium-sized species and live on the ground. They have a black, chestnut, olive or buff plumage and some are barred or spotted birds.  Their wings and tails are short and rounded with medium to long legs and long toes. They have a great variation of bills from short, conical to long, curved and some birds have even a noticeable shield at the front.

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The rails are living secretly near waters. They mostly live in marches and feed on animals and vegetable matter. They build their nest on the ground and in low bushes. The water rail with its very narrow body gives the impression to be squashed when seen from the front. This narrow body, however, enables the bird to disappear quickly between dense reeds.

COOTS

GALLINULES

MOORHENS

Altogether there are 125 species all over the world and include coots, moorhens, gallinules and rails. They also include flightless birds like the New Zealand’s takahne and some rails do migrate.  The corncrake, for instant, has a weak flight but even so they still migrate long distance.

Bustards are another species of the crane family and vary from medium - to large-sized birds.  Their feathers are grey or brown on the top and buff or white underneath. Quite number has black head and neck markings. The wings are broad, their necks are long and their long legs have three-toed feet. They are to be found on open plains and seldom fly. They build there nest on the ground and their diet exist of insects, small vertebrates and vegetation.

KORI BUSTARD

The kori bustard of Africa weighs up to 18kg is the heaviest flying bird and only flies very short flights at low level. The great defence of bustards is turning round and dispatches a very sticky salvo of droppings at their enemies.

The courtship of male birds is fascinating and magnificent sight. They raised ruffs, inflate a beard-like and balloon their necks while erecting their wings as well as inflating their throat poaches to impress the female.

NORTHERN BLACK KORHAAN 

SOUTHERN BLACK KORHAAN

Black korhaans of southern Africa rise in flapping flights and descend with their legs dangling and wings fluttering and all in aid to impress their chosen females.

A relative species of the rails is the serienna or cariama. It lives in the tropical South American grasslands and struts about with its peak raised. It does not fly very often but can run fast enough to avoid danger. Its diet varies from insects, some plant matter, and some mice, frogs, and even sometimes snakes.