Common Moorhen ( Gallinula chloropus )

35 cm. The legs and the toes are long and green. Has a red shield-like structure in the forehead that is larger in the male. The neck and inferior parts are blue. The back is brown and there is a white band in the wing. The immature individuals are brown.
Distribution:
All over the world, except from Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat:
Lives in lakes, ponds and swamps, provided there is plenty of aquatic vegetation. May be found even in very polluted places and brackish water.
Diet:
Feeds on vegetables and aquatic insects. Usually dives to catch the food. When it does not dive it waters the food before swallowing.
Reproduction:
The nest is built among the aquatic vegetation. The female lays about four eggs. The hatchlings are fed by the parents and sometimes by older brothers. The parents become very aggressive and may even kill weaker hatchlings.
Natural history:
When swimming in the water repeatedly makes a back and forth movement with the head. It is more active at twilight. When nervous stands on the tail, showing a white area. The populations of colder places migrate in the winter