Wednesday 20 February 2013

Wild Bird Wednesday 32 - Tasmanian Native-hen

Tasmania is about 150 miles from the  mainland of Australia and has been separated from the mainland for about 10,000 years.   As a result it has a number of endemic species - that is ones that are not found anywhere else.

One of Tasmania's least colourful endemics is the Tasmanian Native-hen (Gallinula mortierii). This flightless bird is closely resulted to Moorhens.  Its about 45 cm long and can generally been seen dashing about from patches of cover.

Luckily for me these birds seemed a little more relaxed than some and were more willing to show than most of the others I saw.  This could be due to the fact that they were outside I coffee shop that also sold ice-cream!

As you can see the chicks are of such supreme ugliness that you can't help but like them!






Now its over to you!

Don't forget (please!!!) to link to an actual post rather than just to you blog address - it does make it easier for me, and directs other bloggers to the indented post.

So, click on the link below and off you go!

52 comments:

  1. Nice pictures you show of a cute Native-hen with chicks :) Hanne Bente

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  2. They do look just like our moorhens with the red nose. Nice catch on these! Love that red eye.

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  3. I still think these guys are pretty cool, even if they're lacking some color. And any baby chick is a cute one in my world! Great pics!

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  4. The yellow beak and red eye are quite attractive on the adult so it would seem the little ones grow into beauty.
    Wonderful shots Stewart!

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  5. Ugly is Beautiful ... it's all in the eye of the beholder. I love this little sweet hen who is clearly related to our Moorhens so far, far away. Thank you again, Stewart, for broadening my knowledge. I am about to put Tasmania on my Bucket List ... though there probably is little chance I will make it there.

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  6. I think she's lovely!! and love that you captured the baby with her :)

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  7. If it wasn't for the red eyes she'd be quite plain. The chick is cute. Great shots Sewart.

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  8. I don't think they are ugly! Quite sweet! Nice captured, Stewart.
    Greetings Pia

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  9. They do remind me of moorhens. I honestly don't think they are ugly though, at least when compared to turkey vultures. :))

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  10. Great shots Stewart! Thanks for hosting the hop!

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  11. very cool looking bird! had a purple gallinule stop here one year. such powerful legs!

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  12. Love that red eye! They bear a resemblance to our Moorhen, just not as flashy.

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  13. They do look quite a bit like our moor hens of which I can never get a picture. Your Baby birds aren't any homelier than the eaglets I have. I like them all!!

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  14. I bet you think of Moorhens from the old country when you see these Stewart! Great post!

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  15. Out for a stroll by the ice cream to see if anyone is handing out free samples.

    Great captures of Mama hen and her chick Stewart.

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  16. Its robust body structure reminds me of our exotic Purple Swamphens. I've not seen its small chicks for comparison.

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  17. I kinda like the awkward teenage stage that chicks go through. (That might be because my teenage daughters are going through the same stage!)

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  18. Great photos. The sunshine shows off the different colors on the plumage.

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  19. Hi Stewart, Findlay is away in North Wales at Grandma's but has given me strict instructions to link up his most recent blog and let you know he will be back sharing and commenting next week. Love those chicks, big stocky brutes!

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  20. new one to me Stewart; thanks to you for sharing your photos

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  21. Hi Stewart...Those eyes are unforgettable even if she hasn't got the prettiest feathers out there : )
    I can't seem to get a link on my post back to WBW ..I prefer not to use url's !!
    Grace

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  22. Great series of shots. I can see why you like to live in Tasmania. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  23. Lovely serie of photos of this special bird!
    Well done!

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  24. Stewart, cool sighting of the native hen. And the chick is a cutie. It is nice that they were out in the open. Great shots! Thanks for hosting, have a great week!

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  25. Hi Stewart!Nice hen with chicks! Nice captured too!What a lovely island Tasmania is!Have a great day!
    Dimi..

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  26. Very neat! I love those eyes!

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  27. those red eyes are somewhat spooky!

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  28. Intresting bird Stewart. A great beak for cracking seeds and whatever.

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  29. Love it! It's always special to see endemic birds of a far-away island. They are so like the birds of the mainland, yet so unique!

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  30. Wonderful post. I've only ever heard of the Tazmanian Devil, now you show us the Tasmanian Native Hen. Hope you're having a great day. Greetings, Jo

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  31. Ugly can be cool....
    Your photos are quite wonderful, and your posts are always entertaining. Thanks for this enchanting post.

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  32. I see what you mean about the young one. That seems to frequently be the case with young birds.

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  33. I like the forth picture in where baby is running behind...

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  34. Not so attractive, and yet in ways they are, for I love those wonderful eyes! Of course any place that serves coffee, and ice cream must be a great spot for birding too;') I love them all!

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  35. They look a lot sturdier than Moorhen Stewart. I wouldn't fancy taking one out from a bird bag.Thanks for hosting the gallery again.

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  36. So similar but so different to the Moorhen... both have ugly chicks though!!
    Great shots, Stewart!

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  37. It's so fun to see birds from other parts of the world. I love the hen's red eye. Thanks for sharing.

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  38. Nice series showing this bird and its young. The legs look very powerful.

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  39. It may not be very colorful, but I love that red eye. Nice shots, Stewart! Thank you for hosting WBW! It's one of my favorites, me being a bird nerd and all. :)

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  40. Ugly but very interesting species! With its non-functional wings, big + thick + strong legs and funny walk, it really seems to be a descendant of the dinosaur family :)

    http://dogadansevgiyle2013.blogspot.com

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  41. Interesting information on this species! Nice photos, too!
    The chick is beautiful to his Mama!

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  42. interesting bird. And such red eyes it has. It does look like moorhens and the young too.

    Thanks for hosting. :)

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  43. What great photography..you made this species look beautiful..

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  44. Interesting looking birds! ...The coloring, and the red eyes caught my attention.

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  45. This is a very interesting post! I liked the pictures very much.

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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  46. This comment was just a small allusion to spring ;-)
    Céline & Philippe

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  47. Your moorhen is delightful! My grandson likes to ask me to name five flightless birds and I am always stumped because there is a tendency to want to add roadrunners and chickens because they don't fly MUCH but they can fly for a very short distance. I'm never sure if that's cheating. You've given me a new one to add! I'm thrilled you got a shot of the baby, also! Oh, and I love the new size you are using for your pictures.

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  48. I think the baby chick is adorable.

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  49. Beautiful!! Love their red eyes.

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  50. I've certainly never seen any of these before. The chick is cute! (in it's own way)

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