Grey Necked Wood Rail

Rails, Coots and Moorhens are all related marsh birds, that tend to have short wings and tails with long legs and large feet. Their habitat is mainly marshland and the Rail in particular is very wary and hard to detect. The grey necked wood rail has a grey head and neck changing to a rust under side and body. It has red legs and a yellow beak and rarely flies although it can for short distances. It grows to about 40 cm (16 in) and feeds on small invertebrates both in and out of water. What the one in the photograph was doing in my garden nowhere near a marsh is a mystery.