What they like

Wet mess. Shallow pools, muddy edges and rough bank vegetation. Ditch sides, small marshes, wet reedlands, temporarily flooded meadows. Likes to rest in dense tussocks. Tip: let a corner go wild. Mow in stages, not all at once. Hold water longer with weirs or a shallow pool. Leave reed, bulrush and sedge standing. Plant some marsh marigold, water mint and purple loosestrife along the banks for extra insect life.

Ecological importance

A cleaner of the wetland. Eats mainly insects, larvae, snails and small worms. Chicks depend on a buffet of aquatic insects. Porseleinhoen is also prey for birds of prey and the fox: it belongs in the chain, so give it cover and quiet.

When in the Netherlands

May through September. You’ll often hear it before you see it.

Status

Rare breeding bird. Numbers vary greatly from year to year and are under pressure from drying out and intensive management.