Short abstract from the book: The moorhen is a common breeding bird in Denmark,
breeding in many kinds of freshwater habitats. The size of the
population is not well known but is estimated at 50,000 pairs.
It is probably reduced in hard winters. Of 3,590 ringings, 358
have been recovered, mainly birds from the Danish population. The main migration takes place in September and the
direction is very concentrated towards the SW. Most moorhens
are recovered in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, southern England and northwest France. The main winter quarters
of the Danish moorhens are in northwest France. Some birds
tend to migrate almost due S through central Europe, and a
few Danish moorhens have been recovered in North Africa.
Most birds return to Denmark in March–April. Only very
few moorhens from Sweden and Finland have been found in
Denmark. Eighty-six per cent of the reported Danish birds
are recovered dead. The main cause of death is hunting, and
69 % of the hunted birds had been shot in France. The oldest
bird in the material was reported as dead in France aged 18
years and 5 months.
Read more about the species in the chapter from The Danish Bird Migration Atlashere
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