This endangered Hawaiian subspecies is descended from the Common Moorhen of North America. It is also known as the Mudhen, Gallinule, or locally, as the `Ale`ula. It gets its Hawaiian name from it red (`ula) frontal shield. Birds are almost entirely black with extremely large yellow feet that have little or no webbing between the toes. The frontal shield and most of the bill are red. Only the tip of the bill is yellow. The Hawaiian Moorhen is a shy bird that prefers marshes and ponds with thick marginal vegetation. Introduced predatory mammals are a serious threat to this species. The Hawaiian Moorhen is common in suitable habitat on Kaua`i and to a lesser degree on O`ahu, but it can no longer be found on the other Hawaiian Islands and attempts to reintroduce it to them have failed. In Hawaiian mythology, the `Alae`ula was responsible for giving fire to the Hawaiian people.
In this video an adult is feeding a chick while a Hawaiian Stilt photo bombs the background.
Audio is courtesy of Xeno-Canto (www.xeno-canto.org). Catalogue # XC345348 recorded by Paul Tulio Dornas in Brazil
