- Lifespan
- 5–10 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 23–29 cm, wingspan 38–45 cm; 70–170 g
- Habitat
- Freshwater wetlands including reed beds, marshes, ditches, and overgrown ponds with dense emergent vegetation and shallow water.
- UK Distribution
- Found throughout the UK, though more abundant in southern and central regions. Resident year-round with numbers supplemented by continental migrants in winter.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; feeds on small fish, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, small mammals, bird eggs, and chicks, supplemented with aquatic plants and seeds.
- Prey
- Small fish, tadpoles, aquatic insects, freshwater snails, newts, voles, and other birds' eggs and chicks
- Predators
- Foxes, stoats, weasels, pike, herons, and occasionally sparrowhawks and buzzards
- Mating Season
- March to September
- Breeding
- Clutch size 6–11 eggs; incubation period 19–20 days; typically 1–2 broods per year; chicks fledge at 7–8 weeks
- Behaviour
- Secretive and elusive, skulking through dense vegetation and rarely flying in the open. Highly territorial and vocal, producing loud clicking and grunting calls, particularly at dawn and dusk. Solitary or in pairs except during winter when small flocks may gather.