Watercock Gallicrex cinerea Scientific name definitions

Male 42–43 cm, 300–650 g; female 34·5–36 cm, 200–434 g; wingspan 68–86 cm. Large moorhen-like rail with slimmer, long-necked appearance. Male black with upperpart feathers fringed grey and usually brown, giving scaled appearance; undertail-coverts barred black and buff; bill yellow, and iris, base of maxilla, frontal shield , horn, legs and feet bright red. Female markedly smaller; darkish brown above with buff-brown scalloping, rufous buff below with fine wavy dark barring. Non-breeding male as female. Immature and juvenile like adult female, but juvenile more tawny overall and less barred below.

Pakistan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka E to C & E China, Korea, S Japan and S Ryukyu Is, and S through Andamans, Nicobars and SE Asia to Sumatra and Philippines. Winters S to Greater and Lesser Sundas and Sulawesi.

Most birds from N China and Korea apparently migrate or disperse S for winter, but extent of movements unclear, and evidence somewhat conflicting, with species also reported to be resident even in NE China (Liaoning); absent from Hong Kong, and apparently from Korea, in winter. Regarded as largely a visitor to S of range, with winter occurrences from Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Flores and Sulawesi; also May–Jul in Sumatra and breeding recorded; migrants present in Japan mainly Sept to mid Jan (most Oct–Nov) with occasional spring records. In India and Pakistan, resident in well-watered areas but disperses widely during monsoon with creation of marshy conditions in otherwise dry low-lying areas. A summer visitor to Maldives (1 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2012). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volumes 1 and 2. Second edition. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Michigan State University and Lynx Edicions, Washington, DC, Michigan, MI, and Barcelona, Spain. Close ). Vagrant to Kamchatka, United Arab Emirates (2 Harrison, I. (2015). From the rarities committees. Sandgrouse 37(2):203–210. Close ), Oman (3 Porter, R., and S. Aspinall (2010). Birds of the Middle East. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 4 Menzie, S. (2014). Some notes on ageing and sexing Watercocks Gallicrex cineria with specific reference to a vagrant bird in Oman. Sandgrouse. 36: 176–180. Close ), Socotra (5 Porter, R.F. and Suleiman, A.S. (2011). Watercock Gallicrex cinerea on Socotra, a new bird for Yemen. Sandgrouse. 33: 132–133. Close ), Christmas I (Indian Ocean) Dec–Jan, Cocos (Keeling) Is (6 Chonhkin, M.-S., Macrae, I. and McAllan, I.A.W. (2009). A record of a Watercock in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Australian Field Ornithology. 26: 15–18. Close ), Caroline Is (7 Buden, D.W. and McKinlay, G. (2010). First documented record of watercock (Gallicrex cinerea) in Oceania. Notornis. 57: 96–97. Close ) and possibly to Palau Is (8 Pratt, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ).

Feeds largely on seeds and shoots of “green crops”, and wild and cultivated rice, but also takes worms, molluscs, aquatic insects and their larvae, and grasshoppers. Swims well and will cross open water. Skulking and largely crepuscular ; also emerges to feed in overcast and rainy weather.

Noisy in breeding season, with 3 types of call, all produced fairly continuously and rhythmically with short silence between each series: 10–12 “kok” notes with head raised; then 10–12 deeper, faster, hollow metallic “utumb” notes with head lowered; and finally 5–6 “kluck” notes with head raised. Generally silent in winter.

India and Pakistan, mostly Jun–Sept (monsoon months); Sri Lanka, May, also Jan–Feb and possibly Jul–Aug; Maldives, Jun–Jul; Ryukyu Is, Aug; Philippines, May–Jul and Sept; Sumatra, Dec (female and eggs collected). Probably monogamous, and territorial when breeding. Nest a large concave or deep cup-shaped pad of sedges, rushes, rice blades or grass, built low down in reeds or rice, or on clump of coarse grass; stems and seedheads turned down to form platform on which more material added; sometimes domed over to form bower; occasionally builds on heap of vegetable rubbish. Usually 3–6 eggs (3–10); incubation period unknown, but c. 24 days with artificial incubation. Chicks have black down. Normally rears 2 broods.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Formerly reckoned to be common over much of range. Currently regarded as common winter visitor Sumatra (perhaps breeding only exceptionally) but uncommon in rest of Greater Sundas; fairly common resident in Philippines. In Wallacea, where assumed to be winter visitor, only four records: Sulawesi in Dec–Feb, and Flores in May. Uncommon resident in Yaeama Is (S Ryukyu Is); rare but annual visitor to main islands of Japan.