Читать книгу A Manual of Philippine Birds - Richard C. McGregor - Страница 128

RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS.

Size medium to small; body compressed; thighs very muscular; legs rather long; toes long; wing short and rounded; tail short and soft, composed of ten or twelve feathers; bill strong but variable in form; long and slightly curved in typical rails, short and thick in the crakes, subconical and heavy in Porphyrio; nostrils pervious and variable in shape; wing usually bearing a short spine or a flattened knob. Most of the species inhabit marsh-land, rice-fields, or thick beds of reeds bordering ponds and streams; Rallina, Amaurornis, and Gallicrex are often found in dry fields or underbrush at considerable distances from water. The nest is placed on the ground and well concealed among reeds or bunches of grass; usually situated near water or marshy ground. The eggs vary in number from four to ten, and are usually much spotted and streaked. The downy young are coal-black.