219. Gallinula galeata 
FLORIDA GALLINULE. $13 inches 
Adult. Above, head and neck black; back brown. Below, breast 
slate color; flanks black, white barred; short tail held erect, white 
underneath; 62// bright red, extending on the forehead like a shield, 
yellowish at tip; legs greenish yellow. Immature. Similar, but 
bill brownish ; breast and flanks whitish. Called Rea-billed Mud 
Hen. 
Nest. Of flags and weeds in fresh-water marshes. 
Breeds. A rare summer resident of southern New England. 
_ May to October. 
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