White-breasted Waterhen

These birds are usually seen singly or in pairs as they forage slowly along the edge of a waterbody mainly on the ground but sometimes clambering up low vegetation. The tail is held up and jerked as they walk. They probe with their bill in mud or shallow water, also picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects (large numbers of beetles have been recorded), small fish, aquatic invertebrates and seeds such as those of Pithecolobium dulce. They may sometimes feed in deeper water in the manner of a moorhen.