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Common Moorhens are uncommon breeders throughout the southern and eastern Great
Plains. Similar in appearance to an American Coot, adult Common Moorhens have a
yellow-tipped red bill and a red frontal shield. They are browner than American Coots,
have a large white patch under their tails and show a white line along their flanks where
their wings rest against their sides. In flight their wings have a white leading edge.
They may build several platforms for each nesting attempt, one for the actual nest and
others for display and chick brooding. Like coots, they conceal nests in cattails and
other tall emergent vegetation, usually anchoring them to surrounding vegetation and
constructing ramps leading to them.
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