Ballona Halloween Bird: The Moorhen

“It’s nose looks like candy corn!”, said a child observing waterfowl at the Ballona freshwater marsh one spring day.  Indeed, the Moorhen’s distinctive crimson and yellow beak reminds us of that tasty Halloween treat (I would always bite off the white tip first before consuming the rest). The beak also helps us amateur birders distinguish Moorhens from their relative, the Coot.  The Moorhen also has grey and white feathers on its tush, while the Coot is all black.

Moorhens are sometimes called marsh hens or river chickens. Members of the rail family, they are close relatives of coots, and because of their apparently nervous behavior (frequently twitching tail, neck and grinding their backs) are sometimes called "skitty coots".

You’ll notice their shy behavior if you spot one near the freshwater marsh trail.  They will paddle out of your view so they can’t see you.  Move behind a bush, using it like a blind, and you can watch them forage in the water for plants, bugs and even small amphibians.

Dan Cooper of Cooper Ecological Monitoring reported in 2005 that a few Moorhen are present at the Ballona freshwater marsh nearly year round.  We have seen them in the area along Lincoln Blvd., near the Jefferson intersection, every year since 2007, often with a few chicks following behind.  They are a species of special concern in California, so persistent nesting at the man-made Freshwater Marsh is a very positive result.

Thanks and compliments to Jim of Nikonians for the exceptional photos of mother and chick. 

Enjoy your Ballona Wetlands!