Pale-vented Bush-hen

The pale-vented bush-hen (Amaurornis moluccana) is a medium sized waterbird, mainly blue-grey with a buff vent and undertail. It is found in Australia, the Moluccan Islands, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The pale-vented bush-hen is medium sized with a body length between 25 and 30 cm, wing length of 14 to 15.5 cm, bill length of 2.8 to 3.3 cm and weighing between 150 and 210 g. It has a dull gray-blue body, brown wings and tail. Its eponymous pale coloured vent and undertail are variously described as buff-ruffous, rufous-brown, buff or reddish-brown. The bill is distinctive being lime green with an orange red frontal shield when breeding and duller green with no red when not breeding. The legs are olive-yellow and the eye dark. There is no apparent difference between sexes. Juveniles are paler in colour.