Pale-vented Bush-hens have highly crypticplumage that
is adapted extremely well to the dark surroundings in which
they prefer to live.
The head, nape of the neck, back and uppertail are all dark
olive-brown, with the near-black flight feathers being the
darkest of all. The front is light-grey (throat patch) to
mid-grey (chest) and dark-grey (belly).
The rufous-tinted vent and undertail give the species many of
its alternate names.
The irises are dark red-brown.
When breeding, the bill is pea-green, with an orange shield.
In eclipse it is yellow-olive, with a grey shield.
The legs and feet are dark yellowish-grey.
The plumage of
juveniles
has less colour contrast than that of
adults.
The front is light- (throat) to mid-grey (chest/belly), with a
lighter rufous tint on vent and undertail. The back is greyish
olive-brown. The bill and shield resemble those of non-breeding
adults.
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Pale-vented Bush-hen is available
HERE
.
Pale-vented Bush-hens populate parts of Indonesia, New Guinea,
Australia and the Solomon Islands.
Next to islands
along the Torres Strait, Pale-vented Bush-hens populate parts of
the Australian continent, where they are found in
two areas, on both sides of the Gulf of Carpentaria, but NOT
along most of the coastline of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The range of the western population extends along the (near-)coastal
fringe of northern WA and the Top End of the NT, from Broome, WA, to
eastern Arnhemland.
The eastern population occupies the (near-)coastal north-eastern
coastal fringe of Australia, from the western side of the tip of
Cape York peninsula, QLD, to about the Clarence River in northern
NSW.
In suitable habitats in both areas they can be found up to roughly
200 km inland.
Pale-vented Bush-hens have a strong preference for dense, tall
growth along water
courses in, and along the edges of, lowland tropical and subtropical
rainforest.
Sightings
Click here for sighting information
Race "ruficrissus"
B. Collett reports spotting a family of Pale-vented Bush-hens, race
"ruficrissus",
at Edge Hill, Cairns, QLD, only once in more than 40 years, in February
2016.
E.
Scott reports hearing a single Pale-vented
Bush-hen, race
"ruficrissus",
regularly at both day- and night-time at Roseberry Creek Valley,
near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, in the timeframe November 2016
to January 2017.
M. Eaton reports spotting a Pale-vented Bush-hen, race
"ruficrissus",
in the Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD, in June 2017. Another was
found at Banks Street Reserve, Ashgrove, Brisbane, QLD, in November 2019.
B. Hensen found a Pale-vented Bush-hen, race
"ruficrissus",
at Iron Range NP, QLD, in December 2018.
Photos
Race "ruficrissus"
ADULT
Sex unknown
BREEDING
Frontal view of an adult Pale-vented Bush-hen; the
small red shield indicates that this bird is breeding
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Banks Street Reserve, Ashgrove, Brisbane, QLD, November 2019]
Near-lateral view of an adult Pale-vented Bush-hen
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Banks Street Reserve, Ashgrove, Brisbane, QLD, November 2019]
Lateral view of an adult Pale-vented Bush-hen
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Banks Street Reserve, Ashgrove, Brisbane, QLD, November 2019]
NON-BREEDING
Lateral view of an adult Pale-vented Bush-hen; note the
absence of a small red shield, which indicates that this
bird is not breeding
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Iron Range NP, QLD, December 2018]
Lateral view of an adult Pale-vented Bush-hen foraging by the
edge of a creek (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Iron Range NP, QLD, December 2018]
Adult Pale-vented Bush-hen with a chick "exploring suburbia"
(photo courtesy of B. Collett)
[Edge Hill, Cairns, QLD, February 2016]
IMMATURE/JUVENILE
Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Pale-vented Bush-hen
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD, June 2017]
Pale-vented Bush-hen chick checking out the interior of a garage
(photo courtesy of B. Collett)
[Edge Hill, Cairns, QLD, February 2016]
More Pale-vented Bush-hen sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.