The green-legged moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) is a pigeon-sized bird from the rail family. This is a dark-colored moorhen with long green legs and long toes. In contrast to its otherwise dark plumage, its red forehead and red bill with a yellow tip stand out. On the underside of the tail, which it holds upright while walking and shakes constantly, the green-legged moorhen has a characteristic white underside. A row of white spots is also on the sides under the wings. Its head, neck, chest, belly and flanks are ashy gray; the wings and wing coverts are gray-brown. From the relatively long tail to the tip of the sturdy bill it measures 27 to 31 cm. Although it swims well and dives, the green-legged moorhen prefers to hide in dense shore vegetation or reeds. Then it is hard to spot, but its presence is announced by a distinctive, short and bubbling, "kjorrr!".
This is a diurnal species that is not particular about its food. It feeds on both animal and plant matter. It hunts small invertebrates, mainly insects and their larvae, and mollusks. From plants it persistently seeks buds, young shoots, leaves, flowers and seeds.
The green-legged moorhen lives on densely vegetated waterways and lakes. In our country it is a resident species, i.e., it does not retreat south before winter. In winter the Slovenian population of this species on the banks of our rivers and lakes is joined by green-legged moorhens that breed in northern and eastern Europe. Here it nests from April to August. The male, on a small island of vegetation or in thick shoreline vegetation, builds a basket-shaped nest, which he cleverly covers with a roof, while the female incubates. In our country it usually has two broods, the first being more numerous. Interestingly, the young from the first brood help their parents care for the chicks from the second brood. They search for food for them and feed them, lead them through daily tasks, and teach them and warn them of dangers.
Because the green-legged moorhen is tied to a watery environment with natural, dense and richly overgrown banks, it is especially threatened by the regulation of waterways. In Slovenia it is considered a fairly common nesting bird, but in recent years the abundance of its population has declined. The reason for this lies precisely in the disappearance and degradation of suitable habitat, which the green-legged moorhen shares with many other creatures!
