“Trống cơm” is a famous folk song that almost every Vietnamese person has heard. In this song, there is a line “a flock of xit birds, oh how they wade, wade, wade through the river, oh how they go to find someone they miss…”. So, what is a xit?
Many opinions have been put forward to explain the image of “xit” in the song “Trống cơm”, among which a widely accepted viewpoint is: The xit is indeed a type of bird.
These are some bird species that have similar external characteristics belonging to the genus Porphyrio, family Rallidae. They are commonly found in the southern region of Vietnam, easily spotted in national parks such as Tram Chim, U Minh Ha, U Minh Thuong, and Dat Mui…
Adult xit birds measure 28-29 cm in length and have quite an attractive appearance. Their head, neck, and underside are blue, while the rest of the upper body is gray, with red beaks, crests, and legs.
In the wild, xit birds live around wetland areas (“oh how they wade, wade, wade through the river”), and they were once abundant in agricultural plains, making them very familiar to farmers.
Their feet have very long toes, which are convenient for running on the leaves of aquatic plants like lotus and water lilies, as well as on muddy surfaces.
This bird species has a high social behavior and often lives in flocks (“a flock of xit birds”). When an intruder encroaches on their territory, especially during the breeding season, the xit birds will unite to drive it away.
The diet of xit birds is quite diverse, ranging from insects and aquatic animals to various plants such as grasses and rice.
The breeding season of xit birds is from November to August. The female lays 4-7 eggs per clutch. Juvenile birds are lighter in color than adult birds.
Some other images of xit birds.
Xit birds have red beaks.
They often travel in groups.
The long feet of xit birds.
