Taking a gander at the new neighbors
Print Edition
A family of four moorhens has moved into the Star River housing estate, delighting local residents.
On a big stone in the middle of an estate pond, residents found moorhen eggs. One month later, two baby moorhens were born. The parents and chicks now live in the pond.
“According to maintenance standards, we have to clean the pond every two months,” said Yuan Yan, who is responsible for the housing estate. “The requirement is that one can see the bottom of the pond.”
But residents balked, saying the cleaning would disturb the environment for the moorhens.
“One resident told me he was worried cats might eat the young chicks if we drain the water,” said Yuan. “So after some discussions, we decided to suspend cleaning for awhile.”
Word has spread about the moorhen family. Residents from neighboring housing estates have come to take photos.
Several shutterbugs recording the growth of the chicks have been posting photos on the local community’s WeChat every day. Some residents feed the moorhens leftover fish.
“We’re really happy that the moorhens chose Star River as their home,” said Yuan. “A touch of wildlife adds a lot to the lifestyle of the estate.”
About moorhen
The moorhen is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. Its average size is between 24 to 35 centimeters long. The females are smaller than the males. The bird has a small yellow beak and a bright red forehead. It’s a shy and infrequently seen bird that usually prefers flooded grasslands and small ponds. It feeds on water weeds, small fish and aquatic insects.
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