Watercock

Watercock (Gallicrex cinerea) is a large rail; breeding males become black with a red frontal shield and horn, while females remain streaked brown. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It uses reedbeds, marshes and rice fields, eating plant matter and small animals and becoming most active around twilight. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).