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Gallinule Clan

Two adults shepherd hatchlings around the shore of a pond. Scratching earthworms and other invertebrates from the soil and leaf litter, they provide protection and lessons in foraging to precocial chicks that can walk and swim within a day or two after hatching. The ‘alae ‘ula is an endangered, Hawaiian endemic subspecies (Gallinula chloropus sandvicensis) of the common moorhen or gallinule. In mythology, the red shield is the result of scorching received from bringing fire to humans.

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Uploaded on October 19, 2019
Taken on May 23, 2019