Hawaiian Moorhen (id by Jay Levin)

From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife site:

The Hawaiian Moorhen is known as the most secretive native waterbird. In Hawaiian legend, these birds were thought to have brought fire from the gods to the Hawaiian people. These secretive birds can be found in freshwater marshes, taro patches, irrigation ditches, reservoirs, and wet pastures. They favor dense emergent vegetation near open water, floating or barely emergent mats of vegetation, and water depths of less than 3 feet (1 meter).

These birds nest year-round but the active season is usually from March through August. It is believed that the timing of nesting is related to water levels and vegetation growth. The Hawaiian Moorhen usually lays an average of 5 to 6 eggs and incubation is about 22 days. The ‘alae ‘ula eats mollusks, insects, water plants, and grasses. They are good swimmers and chicks can swim shortly after hatching.