Tasmanian Nativehen
Tribonyx mortierii· 秧鸡科(1 photos)
Tasmanian Nativehen
43-50 cm. Large flightless native-hen confined to Tas.: upperparts olive-brown; erect tail black; underparts grey; belly and undertail-coverts black; whitish patch on flank. Bill heavy, yellow-green; legs grey. Immature: bill grey; upperparts browner; underparts spotted white. Singles, pairs, parties: active, noisy, demonstrative and aggressive; jerks tail up and down. When disturbed runs swiftly across roads, paddocks; swims and dives readily to escape.
- Other name
- Narkie.
- Similar Species
- Black-tailed Native-hen; darker, with red legs.
- Voice
- rasping, hacksaw-like cacophony, often from many birds, day and night; also deep, bubbling grunts.
- Habitat
- farmland with short grass, tussocks; edges of wetlands, streams, lakes; margins of woodlands; roadsides. May become a pest in nearby crops.
- Breeding
- July-Jan.
- Nest
- platform of tussocks pulled up by the roots and trampled down, or shallow saucer of grass, roots, leaves and twigs; in undergrowth, long grass or tussocks; occasionally floating and anchored in reeds.
- Eggs
- 6-9; stone-coloured, blotched and finely spotted chestnut, with paler underlying markings.
- Range & Status
- endemic to Tas., mostly n. and e.; mostly absent from w. and sw.; introduced Maria I. Common; sedentary.
