Ban - Ban (English spelling) moorhen

A bird of the family Rallidae in the order Grui. Total length is about 33 cm. The head, neck and underside are gray-black, the back is dark green-brown, and there is a white stripe on the side. The undertail is white. It is characterized by a yellow beak at the tip and a red forehead plate, but during the non-breeding season the forehead plate becomes small and green-brown. Young birds are mostly brown. It is widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions of the world except Australia. It migrates to Japan as a summer bird and breeds in rivers, lakes, and lotus fields throughout the country, but some spend the winter in southern Japan. It swims on the water surface by swinging its neck back and forth, and when walking, it constantly moves its tail. It is a weak fly, flying slowly with its legs lowered, and landing close to prey. It is omnivorous, eating both plants and animals. It breeds by collecting dead stems in the grass or reeds of wetlands to build nests, and lays 5 to 10 eggs per clutch. The incubation period is about 21 days. There are 12 species in the genus Oriental moorhen, including the Oriental moorhen, distributed throughout the temperate zones of both the Old and New Worlds, as well as in the Southern Hemisphere.

[Hiroyuki Morioka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鳥綱ツル目クイナ科の鳥。全長約33センチメートル。頭頸(とうけい)部と下面は灰黒色で、背面は暗緑褐色、わきに1条の白帯がある。下尾筒は白い。先端の黄色い嘴(くちばし)と赤い額板が特徴であるが、非繁殖期には額板は小さく、緑褐色となる。幼鳥は褐色に富む。オーストラリアを除く世界の温帯、熱帯に広く分布する。日本には夏鳥として渡来し、全国の河川、湖沼、ハス田などで繁殖するが、南日本では越冬するものもある。頸(くび)を前後に振って水面を泳ぎ、また歩くときには絶えず尾を動かしている。飛び方は弱く、足を下げたままゆっくりと飛び、すぐ近くに降りる。食性は雑食で、植物食も動物食もとる。繁殖は、湿地の草むらやアシの中に枯れ茎を集めて巣をつくって行い、1腹5～10個の卵を産む。抱卵期間は約21日。バン属は、バンも含めて世界に12種があり、新旧両世界の温帯と南半球に分布している。

［森岡弘之］

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