Moorhens

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Moorhens
Spotted Moorhen (Porzana porzana)

Spotted Moorhen ( Porzana porzana )

Systematics
Sub-stem : Vertebrates (vertebrata)
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Crane birds (Gruiformes)
Family : Rallen (Rallidae)
Genre : Moorhens
Scientific name
Porzana
Vieillot , 1816

The moorhens ( Porzana ) are a genus of the railing family . They are widespread on all continents and in Oceania .

features

The body size varies from 13 to 25 centimeters. Depending on the species, the undersides are ash gray ( weasel moorhen ), slate gray ( spotted moorhen ), dark reddish brown ( cinnamon moorhen ) or black ( Tuamotus marsh fowl) , the under- tail covers are reddish ( Hawaiian marsh fowl ), monochrome black (Tuamotus marsh fowl) or covered with white spots ( kosrae ) , the upper sides black ( Kosrae Moorhen ) or brown ( South Sea Moorhen ), the plumage as a whole monochrome black (Kosrae Moorhen, Tuamotu Moorhen ) or different colors ( Yellow-breasted Moorhen , Mandarin Moorhen), the armpit feathers banded ( Spotted Moorhen ) or plain (Yellow-breasted Moorhen ) Moorhen), the chest spotted white (spotted moorhen) or without spots ( Carolina moorhen ). White stripes can be seen above the reins of the yellow breasted moorhen.

habitat

Moorhens live in marshland, in swamps and at the edges of swamps, in ponds and lakes, in flooded fields, rice fields and in other wetlands.

food

The diet consists of snails, insects, annelids, frog spawn, small fish, seeds and marsh herbs.

Systematics

In a molecular biological study by Slikas et al. from 2002 several clades were visible within the moorhens of the genus Porzana . These findings were then divided into different categories and appropriate nomenclature measures. These have not yet been finally confirmed, but have since been included in well-known monographs and lists.

The following species remained in the genus Porzana :

Genus Porzana

The following species have been placed in the genus Zapornia :

On the other hand, the following are extinct:

The genus Amaurornis became

  • Zapornia olivieri , Malegassenkielrale, is a member of the genus Zapornia .

In the genus Amaurornis was Porzana cinerea as

  • Amaurornis cinerea Vieillot , 1819 - White-browed moorhen , white-browed rail or jacanae (East Asia, Oceania) transferred. On Iwo Jima and Minami-Iwojima in the Ogasawara Islands the Iwo-Jima jacana was endemic, a controversial subspecies.

The genus Hapalocrex ( monotypic ) was more flavivent for Porzana than

On the other hand, the following are extinct:

  • Porzana astrictocarpus Olson , 1973 - St. Helena Moorhen , † early 16th century
  • Porzana ralphorum Olson & James, 1991 - (Oahu, Hawaii Islands), ca.450 AD
  • Porzana severnsi Olson & James, 1991 - (Maui, Hawaii Islands), Holocene
  • Porzana rua Steadman , 1987 - (Mangaia, Cook Islands), † 14th or 15th century
  • Porzana menehune Olson & James, 1991 - (Molokai, Hawaiian Islands), Holocene
  • Porzana ziegleri Olson & James, 1982 - (Oahu, Hawaii Islands), c. 650 - 870 AD
  • Porzana keplerorum Olson & James, 1984 - (Maui, Hawaii Islands), Holocene
  • Porzana piercei Olson & Wingate , 2000 - (Bermuda, West Atlantic), Middle Pleistocene
  • Porzana sp. Steadman, 1994 - Easter Island Rail , c. 1000 to 1430 AD
  • Porzana sp. A Olson & James, 1982 - (Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands, large species), Holocene
  • Porzana sp. B Olson & James, 1991 - (Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands, small species), ca.860 to 980 AD
  • Porzana sp. A Olson & James, 1982 - (Kauai, Hawaiian Islands, large species), Holocene
  • Porzana sp. B Olson & James, 1981 - (Kauai, Hawaiian Islands, medium-sized species), ca 4050 B.C. Chr.
  • Porzana sp. Olson & James, 1982 - (Maui, Hawaiian Islands), Holocene
  • Porzana sp. Steadman, 2006 - (Malakula, Vanuatu), c. 950 BC. Chr.
  • Porzana sp. Steadman, 2006 - (Aiwa Levu, Lau Islands), ca.450 BC. Chr.
  • Porzana sp. Steadman & Kirch, 1990 - (Mangaia, Cook Islands), † 14th or 15th century, smaller than Porzana rua .
  • Porzana sp. Steadman, 2006 - (Nuku Hiva, Marquesas), Holocene
  • Porzana sp. A Steadman, 2006 - (Uahuka, Marquasas), c. 300 to 1300 AD
  • Porzana sp. B Steadman, 2006 - (Uahuka, Marquasas), ca.300 to 1300 AD
  • Porzana sp. Olson & Ziegler , 1995 - (Lisianski Atoll, Hawaii Islands), approx. 1828 (only known from a travel report by Russian sailors from 1828)
  • Porzana sp. Steadman, 1999 - (Tinian, Mariana Islands), ca.2500 BC. Chr.
  • Porzana sp. Steadman, 1999 - (Aguiguan, Mariana Islands), ca.1290 to 1450 AD
  • Porzana sp. Steadman, 1999 - (Rota, Mariana Islands), Holocene

Unsecured assignment

  • Porzana aff. estramosi Jánossy , 1979 - (only known from the distal end of a tarsometatarsus from the Zancleum in Hungary, provisionally placed in the genus Porzana)

Individual evidence

  1. Beth Slikas, Storrs L. Olson & Robert C. Fleischer: Rapid, independent evolution of flightlessness in four species of Pacific Island rails (Rallidae): an analysis based on mitochondrial sequence data. Journal of Avian Biology, 33, 1, pp. 5-14, 2002
  2. ^ EC Dickinson & JV Remsen, Jr. (Eds.): The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 4th edition, Vol. 1. Non-passerines. Aves Press, 2013, pp. 149-161 ISBN 978-0-9568611-0-8

literature

  • Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliot, Jordi Sargatal: Handbook of the birds of the world. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 1996, ISBN 84-87334-20-2 .
  • Sidney Dillon Ripley: Rails of the World - A Monograph of the Family Rallidae . Codline. Boston, 1977. ISBN 0-87474-804-6
  • David William Steadman (2006): Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds . University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-77142-3
  • Samuel T. Turvey (Ed.) (2009) Holocene Extinctions . Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-953509-5
  • P. Barry Taylor & Ber van Perlo (1998): Rails: A Guide to the Rails, Crakes, Gallinules, and Coots of the World. Yale University Press, New Haven. ISBN 0-300-07758-0 .

Web links

Commons : Porzana  - collection of images, videos and audio files