June

Being a member of Rails and crakes, white-breasted waterhen, possess extraordinary long toes which help spreading their body weight evenly on those leaf-floating plants. Because of the lengthy toes, they can walk handily on the leaf of lotus or water lily in ponds and marshes, a place where they live and forage their food.

Concordance with their Rail family members, the body of white-breasted waterhen is laterally compressed which allow them to pass through the dense vegetations and undergrowth. Foraging in this kind of habitat with their relatively unspecialized straight bill, this opportunistic omnivore usually can find worms, molluscs, insects and marsh plants to eat.

Different from other Rails who are shy and secretive, white-breasted waterhen is relative outgoing. Together with their prominent white face and bright chestnut vent, they can be identified easily whenever you encounter with them. You will only misidentify them with other rails when they are in juvenile stage which their chin, throat and sides of breast are dull brown in colour.

In Hong Kong they usually breed between February and August. Visiting those habitats they live during this period, the chance to meet with the chicks and the parents in person will be quite high indeed. Even they are hiding somewhere in those bushes and reeds. Their distinctive 'kee-wak kee-wak' calls also let them be easily identified from the wild.