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PLATE 33: CORN CRAKE, WATERHENS AND SWAMPHENS
Corn Crake Crex crex pm
L: 29. W: 50. Skulking, rarely seen out of cover unless flushed; larger than Common Quail. In flight
can suggest young gamebird, but note chestnut wing-coverts and often dangling legs. Otherwise
located by characteristic song in breeding season. Voice Male’s breeding call a far-carrying,
disyllabic rasping, arrp-arrp, arrp-arrp. Habitat Meadows, lush vegetation and crops; avoids standing
water. Note May breed Iran; passage hatched, but rare; some winter in S Arabia.White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus pm, wv
L: 32. W: 49. Slimmer than Common Moorhen; slaty-brown and white, with rufous-chestnut vent
and undertail-coverts; crimson eye set in white face is very conspicuous; in breeding season note
reddish base to upper mandible. Juvenile has white face obscured by slate-brown. Skulking, but
often easily seen in open, walking with jerking tail, displaying undertail-coverts. Climbs in tangles
and creepers, sometimes into canopy. Flies with dangling legs; occasionally swims. Voice Very
vocal in breeding season; call a prolonged ululating kaargh-kaargh, or breaking into kurrwah-
kurrwagh-kurrwagh, krrr-kwok-kwok-krr-oowark-oowark. Habitat Ponds and tangled cover. Note
Winter hatched, but rare; vagrant Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen.Grey-headed Swamphen Porphyrio poliocephalus V
L: 47. W: 95. Large and heavy; twice the size of a Common Moorhen. Uniformly bluish-purple with
grey head and neck, huge red bill and frontal shield; red legs and long toes. Swims with body
tilted forward, white undertail-coverts often striking. In flight like huge Common Moorhen but with
blue wings and long red legs. Juvenile drabber, with greyish-blue underparts, dull red legs and
greyish bill. Shy and often in cover. Voice Loud clucks, clanks, bugling and deep mooing notes; a
low chock-chock; also tschak-tschak and nasal bugled song quin quin krrkrr, quin quin krrkrr. Habitat
Swamps with extensive reedbeds, borders of lakes fringed with tall, dense cover. Note Vagrant
Bahrain, Oman. [Formerly Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio, from which now separated]African Swamphen Porphyrio madagascariensis V
L: 47. Similar to Grey-headed Swamphen, but body and head bluish-purple, with mantle and much
of wings (scapulars and tertials) clearly dirty moss-green. Immatures duller with lighter greyish-
blue underparts, though still greenish (often muted) on upperparts. Voice Similar to Grey-headed
Swamphen. Habitat As Grey-headed Swamphen. Note Vagrant Oman; escapes apparently bred
recently in UAE. [Formerly Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio, from which now separated]Watercock Gallicrex cinerea V
L: Male 43, female 36. Larger than Common Moorhen. Male in breeding plumage blackish with pale
feather-edgings and bright red frontal shield and legs. Female, non-breeding male and immature
buff-brown streaked darker above and narrowly banded below; frontal shield and bill yellowish;
legs brownish-green. Mainly seen at dawn and dusk, never far from cover. Jerks tail; in flight,
dangles legs. Voice Generally silent outside breeding season. Habitat Swamps, marshes and, on
migration, along coasts. Note Vagrant Oman.