The Talaud bush-hen is a vulnerable waterbird in the rail and crake family.
Region
Wallacea (Talaud Islands, Indonesia)
Typical Environment
This species is confined to the Talaud Islands, where it favors dense lowland forest, secondary growth, and tangled thickets near streams and marshy edges. It also occurs along forest margins, in overgrown clearings, and in scrubby vegetation with ample ground cover. It typically avoids open wetlands, preferring shaded, cluttered substrates where it can move undetected. Occasional records come from plantations with dense undergrowth.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 700 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The Talaud bush-hen is a secretive rail endemic to the small Talaud Islands of Indonesia and is more often heard than seen. It inhabits dense understory and thickets, slipping quietly through leaf litter and along wet edges. Habitat loss and introduced predators have contributed to its Vulnerable status.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and reluctant flier
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in pairs, maintaining territories in dense cover. Nests are placed on or near the ground, concealed in thick vegetation. Both parents are thought to share incubation and chick-rearing, with chicks leaving the nest soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Often detected by a series of sharp clucks and squeaky, grating notes, especially at dawn and dusk. Pairs may give antiphonal duets, with calls carrying through dense vegetation.
Plumage
Overall warm brown to olive-brown with paler, buffy underparts and slightly darker crown and mantle; flanks can show faint barring.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of insects, spiders, worms, small snails, and other invertebrates, supplemented by seeds, fallen fruit, and tender shoots. It forages by probing and flicking leaf litter and gleaning along wet edges. Opportunistically takes small amphibians and carrion when available.
Preferred Environment
Forages under dense understory, along stream margins, and in tangled scrub where cover is abundant. Edges of small wetlands and shaded ditches are frequently used feeding sites.
