09/03/2019
On the
morning of Tuesday 5 March resident Cape Verde birder Uwe Thom found a
moorhen species frequenting a productive area of marsh north of Santa
Maria, Sal. This area has also played host to a long-staying African
Crakeand a Hudsonian Whimbrel this winter, both of which were
also found by Uwe. Managing only a single photo of the bird's rear end as
it scarpered for cover, several birders including Pierre-André Crochet and
BirdGuides' Josh Jones were intrigued by features it showed, such as the
unusual leg colour, and encouraged Uwe to return and try to obtain better
views. Uwe managed to see the bird better that evening, with
images confirming the bird to be an immature Lesser
Moorhen – the first record for Cape Verde and an extreme rarity in the
Western Palearctic.
Although very elusive among the vegetation, the bird would occasionally pose
long enough for a full suite of key ID features to be noted, most significantly
the broad and deep yellow bill, which is more triangular shaped than in Common
Moorhen, with a reddish wash to the culmen. Furthermore, the head and body
were an overall paler slaty grey colour, particularly around the face,
with a hint of darker mask, vaguely reminiscent of Sora.
The legs were largely a pale pinkish-yellow, rather than the yellow-green
of Common Moorhen. Lesser Moorhen is also, as its name suggests, smaller
than its Common counterpart, although without that species alongside it to
compare (Common Moorhen is a vagrant on Sal), judging size
proved difficult.
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