Gallinule Chick

source:www.birdsandsuch.com/pages/gallinules.html  

With the flooding in our lower field, we've been on the lookout for emerging water plants from the floodplain's seedbank.  Yesterday we got a big surprise when a young gallinule ran out in front of me then feebly flew 20 meters away.  I called to my wife, but that also alerted our two old kurzhaars.  Our older dog (14) won't hold a point if an animal moves, so I didn't want her to spot it while I was trying to photograph it.

I borrowed this photo from www.birdsandsuch.com, but the bird I saw was much more rufous and with a red-yellow, adult-colored beak.  These birds and others often reflect high ferrous mineral content, and are wetland soils are loaded.  Except for a purple gallinule or moorhen, I can't think of another bird with this immature body shape, a brightly colored beak and long legs than would be wading around in 4 inches of watery grasses.