Pale-vented Bush-hen

Amaurornis moluccana (Wallace, 1865)

187 gWeight

The pale-vented bush-hen or rufous-tailed bush-hen (Amaurornis moluccana) is a medium sized waterbird, mainly blue-grey with a buff vent and undertail.

Busiest months: December–January · Most records: Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Pale-vented Bush-hen has been recorded at 97 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Banks Street ReserveAustralia311 records
Sherwood ArboretumAustralia194 records
Tyto WetlandsAustralia181 records

More places

Gold Creek ReservoirAustralia169 records
Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers LodgeAustralia149 records
Ovens Head and adjacent mangrovesAustralia140 records
Kumbartcho SanctuaryAustralia127 records
Minnippi ParklandsAustralia106 records
Cattana WetlandsAustralia106 records
Daintree Village Boat CruiseAustralia103 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia Indonesia Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Timor-Leste

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The pale-vented bush-hen or rufous-tailed 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.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Pale-vented Bush-hen?

The Pale-vented Bush-hen weighs around 187 g.

Where does the Pale-vented Bush-hen live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: Sangihe (north of northeastern Sulawesi), Sula Islands (east of Sulawesi) and Moluccas to New Guinea and satellites, Australia and Solomon Islands. It is most often recorded in Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

When is the best time to see the Pale-vented Bush-hen?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and December (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Pale-vented Bush-hen endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Pale-vented Bush-hen as Least Concern.

What does the Pale-vented Bush-hen eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Pale-vented Bush-hen in?

It belongs to the family Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae), order Gruiformes.

At a glance

Weight: 187 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 132 mm
Tail: 50 mm
Bill: 33 mm
Tarsus: 54 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Australasia: Sangihe (north of northeastern Sulawesi), Sula Islands (east of Sulawesi) and Moluccas to New Guinea and satellites, Australia and Solomon Islands

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2