What do Lord Howe Island woodhens look like?
Lord Howe Island woodhens are flightless brown birds about the size of a bantam. Females of the species are slightly smaller than the males, and their chicks are covered with sooty black down. Where do they live? These birds are found only on Lord Howe Island, a World Heritage Area which lies in the south-western Pacific Ocean around 700 km east of Port Macquarie. Prior to European colonisation, the species was spread throughout Lord Howe Island, populating the different subtropical rainforest environments. They could be found in a range of environments, from low-lying palm forests to mountain-top mist forests. They eat worms, molluscs and other invertebrates. Breeding Adult Lord Howe Island woodhens pair for life, and each pair defends a territory of around 3 hectares. The breeding season is between spring and early summer, and although most birds mate, a significant proportion of them do not successfully produce young. Nests are built in petrel burrows or in the hollows under tree ro
