h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Van-Smeiter

Just thought I would drop by and straighten a couple of thing up.

In the 'headless chicken thread' the bird in question, we have been told is a plain old Rhode Island Red, or Gallus Gallus Domesticus.

I thought that the Latin name sounded familiar, so saught out my Collins Bird Guide, and found that my suspicions were correct, and that there were indeed a group of birds in Britain that belonged to the family Gallinulae which are in English the Moorhens and Coots. So posed the question of whether or not it was a Moorhen with a split sear (a horny covering to the top of the upper mandible)

As you say, correctly, Lagopus Scotius is the Red Grouse. But just where you get the idea of Moor Cock, I cannot fathom.

Moorhens come in two sexes, Cock Moorhen and Hen Moorhen!!

I hope that this has enlightened you somewhat..




'g'

Hello gandalfstwin and thank you for dropping me a line.

I welcome your enlightenment because, as I said, I'm not a birdwatcher and my technical knowledge of birds is purely word-based. I suspect that Moorhen is a term used by birdwatchers and, perhaps, therein lies the confusion; terms are different to words. In this case, Moorhen (with a capital 'M') is different to moorhen (with a lower-case 'm').

As far as words are concerned, a moorcock/moorfowl is a red (or black) grouse and a moorhen is a female red (or black) grouse. To be politically correct, a moorfowl is a red (or black) grouse; a moorcock is a male red (or black) grouse; a moorhen is a female red (or black) grouse.

So there you have it

Incidentally, I know that coots are waterfowl(and I now know that Moorhens are too) but how exactly are they bald? (I know they're not *actually* bald!) Enlightenment is always welcome.

Van

OK van-smeiter.

A Coot has a white bill, and from the base of the bill, a white 'sear' runs up between the eyes, up towards the top of the head. from a distance, therefore, it looks it looks as though the bird has a featherless crown, and is therefore bald!!!



'g'

Van