White-spotted flufftail

Sarothrura pulchra

Photo by Dave Curtis (Flickr)

Common name:
white-spotted flufftail (en); frango-d'água-pintado (pt); râle perlé (fr); polluela pulcra (es); perlenralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is found is western and central Africa, from Senegal and The Gambia, along the coast of West Africa to Nigeria and then eastwards as far as western Kenya and south wards as far as northern Angola and extreme northern Zambia.

Size:
These birds are 16-17 cm long and weigh 39-53 g.

Habitat:
The white-spotted flufftail is mostly found in lowland rainforests, most often in areas associated with water such as swamp forests, marshes, streams, pools and river banks. they are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.600 m.

Diet:
They feed on a wide range of invertebrates, including earthworms, nematodes, small leeches, small gastropods, myriapods, spiders and various insects.

Breeding:
They possible breed during the local rainy season. Otherwise, there is no information regarding the reproduction of this species.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common to locally abundant. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Corn crake

Crex crex

(Photo from Hortobágyi Madárpark)

Common name:
corn crake (en); codornizão (pt); râle des genêts (fr); guión de codornices (es); wachtelkönig (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species breeds from western Europe, in France, Ireland and Scotland, through central Europe and southern Scandinavia, and into central Asia as far as Kazakhstan, northern China, Mongolia and south-eastern Russia. They migrate south to winter in sob-Saharan Africa, mainly from Tanzania and southern D.R. Congo to Botswana and eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 22-30 cm long and have a wingspan of 42-53 cm. They weigh 130-210 g.

Habitat:
The corn crake breeds in open and semi-open habitats, particularly moist, tall grasslands. Originally they would almost certainly have used riverine meadows of Carex-Iris-Typhoides and alpine, coastal and fire-created grasslands with few trees or scrubs, but are now mainly associated with managed agricultural grasslands. Outside the breeding season they mainly use dry grasslands and savannas, also using riverine grasslands, and man-made habitats such as cereal fields, sewage ponds and golf courses.

Diet:
They feed mainly on invertebrates, including beetles, flies, grasshoppers, dragonflies, earwigs, earthworms, millipedes, spiders, isopods, slugs and snails, but also take small vertebrates such as fishes and amphibians, seeds and shoots.

Breeding:
Corn crakes breed in April-August. They can form seasonal monogamous pairs, but serial polygyny regularly occurs. The nest is made of dead stems and leaves, and placed on the ground among dense vegetation. The female lays 8-12 eggs, which she incubates alone for 14-21 days. The chicks leave the nest within a few hours of hatching and are able to feed themselves after 3-4 days, becoming independent of their mother at about 12 days of age. However, they only start flying 30-35 days after hatching. Each female may raise 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 5,45-9,72 million individuals. The population in Russia, which holds the vast majority of the global population, has remained stable even increased over the last decade, with some fluctuations due to extreme weather. However, in Europe the population is predicted to decline by up to 20% over the next decade, due to land use changes. Chick mortality due to mechanized mowing and intensification of grassland management are the main threats affecting corn crakes, although illegal hunting, land abandonment and nest predation by introduced mammals may pose a problem in some areas.

Grey-necked wood-rail

Aramides cajaneus

Photo by Santiago Lozano (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
grey-necked wood-rail (en); saracura-três-potes (pt); râle de Cayenne (fr); cotara chiricote (es); Cayenneralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is found from north-eastern Mexico, south across Central America and into South America where it is found east of the Andes as far south as northern Argentina and Uruguay.

Size:
These birds are 33-40 cm long and weigh 350-470 g.

Habitat:
The grey-necked wood-rail is mostly found in swamp forests and marshes, also using moist tropical forests, mangroves and forests rivers. This species occurs from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They are omnivorous, feeding on crabs, snails and other molluscs, insects such as flies, cockroaches and locusts, frogs, water snakes and the eggs and juveniles of turtles, but also on seeds and grains, fleshy berries and palm fruits.

Breeding:
Grey-necked wood-rails breed in January-September, varying among different parts of their range. The nest is a bulky mass of dead leaves and twigs, placed either on the ground among reeds or up to 3 m above the ground in a a thicket or vine tangle. The female lays 2-7 dull white to beige eggs with rufous and pale lilac blotches and spots. The eggs are incubated by both parents for about 20 days. The chicks leave the nest within a few days of hatching, but the parents will bring them food and protect them for about 8 weeks.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is currently estiated at 5-50 million individuals. The overall population trend is stable, although some populations have unknown trends and may be adversely affected by habitat destruction.

Weka

Gallirallus australis

Photo by Sid Mosdell (Wikipedia)

Common name:
weka (en); frango-d'água-austral (pt); râle wéka (fr); rascón weka (es); wekaralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is endemic to New Zealand, being found in scattered location along the eastern coast of North Islands,  in the northern and south-western areas of South Island, in the islands of Chatham and Pitt, and in several islands around Stewart Island.

Size:
These birds are sexually dymorphic in size. The females are smaller with 46-50 cm in length and weigh 350-1.035 g, while the males are 50-60 cm long and weigh 530-1.600 g. They have a wingspan of 50-60 cm.

Habitat:
The weka uses most available habitats within their range, including temperate forests and grasslands, freshwater marshes and lakes and scrublands, and to a lesser extent coastal sand dunes, rocky shorelines and sandy or pebble beaches. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They are omnivorous, taking both animals and plant material, including seeds, berries, leaves and grasses, as well as earthworms, adult and larval insects, snails and slugs, spiders, frogs, lizards, mice, small rabbits and small birds.

Breeding:
Wekas can breed all year round. They are monogamous and may pair for life. they nest on the ground, in dense cover such as tussocks, burrows, tree hollows, under logs, stumps or rocks, or even hidden in buildings. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a shallow cup made of woven grasses, lilies, twigs and moss, lined with finer grasses, feathers and hair. The female lays 1-4 eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 26-28 days. The chicks leave the nest 2-3 days after hatching, but remain under the care of the parents for about 2 months. They reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age and each pair may raise up to 4 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a relatively large but fragmented breeding range, and the global population is estimated at 71.000-118.000 individuals. Although different sub-population may have different trends, the global population is suspected to be declining rapidly due to a combination of habitat clearance and degradation, road kills, a wide range of introduced mammalian predators and competitors, combinations of drought and flood years, poison baits used for possum and rabbit control, and possibly disease. Also, they have been eradicated from several islands due to possible risks to other native biota, and removal from Pitt and other islands is a future possibility.

Buff-banded rail

Gallirallus philippensis

Photo by Toby Hudson (Wikipedia)

Common name:
buff-banded rail (en); frango-d'água-de-colar (pt); râle tiklin (fr); rascón filipino (es); bindenralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is found from the Philippines and eastern Indonesia, through New Guinea and into Melanesia and western Polynesia as far east as Samoa and the island of Niue. Also in eastern and south-western Australia and northern New Zealand.

Size:
These birds are 25-33 cm long and weigh 130 g.

Habitat:
The buff-banded rail is found in dense reedbeds and other vegetation bordering different types of wetlands such as marshes, swamps, lakes, saltpans, rivers, estuaries, lagoons, mangroves, saltmarshes and mudflats. They also use grasslands and crops and artifical wetlands such as sewage ponds and drainage channels.

Diet:
They are omnivorous, taking various crustaceans, molluscs, insects and frogs, as well as seeds, fallen fruits and other vegetable matter. They also consume carrion and refuse frequently.

Breeding:
Buff-banded rails can breed all year round, varying among different parts of their range. the nest in an unlined cup made of grasses and reeds, placed among dense vegetation such as long grasses, reeds, rushes, scrubs, crops or trees. The female lays 4-8 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 18-19 days. The chicks can leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching and are soon able to feed themselves, but remain with both parents until they are able to fly, about 2 months after hatching. Each pair can raise 1-2 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as widespread in Australia. The overall population trend is stable, although some populations have unknown trends.

Galapagos rail

Laterallus spilonotus

Photo by George Armistead (Neotropical Birds)

Common name:
Galapagos rail (en);  franga-d'água-das-Galápagos (pt); râle des Galapagos (fr); polluela de Galápagos (es); galapagosralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, where it occurs on the islands of Pinta, Fernandina, Isabela, Santiago, Santa Cruz, Floreana, and San Cristóbal.

Size:
These birds are 15-16 cm long and weigh 35-45 g.

Habitat:
The Galapagos rail is mostly found in high-altitude grasslands and scrublands, especially ferns and sedges, as well as moist forests and freshwater lakes and marshes. They also use mangroves and arable land. This species is present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.700 m.

Diet:
They are mainly insectivorous, taking ants, dragonflies, moths, bugs, isopods, spiders, amphipods and snails. They are also known to eat the seeds of Miconia robinsonia and a few other plants.

Breeding:
Galapagos rails are monogamous and breed in September-April. They nest on the ground, in a cup made of plant stems with a side entrance. The female lays 3-6 beige eggs with reddish-brown and grey speckles, which are incubated by both parents for 23-25 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and reach adult size 80-85 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a relatively small and disjunct breeding range. The global population is estimated at 3.300-6.700 individuals. The population is estimated to be declining at rate of 9% per year, possibly due to predation by introduced mammals such as rats, cats, dogs and pigs, and natural predators like the short-eared owl Asio flammeus and the barn owl Tyto alba. Another threat is habitat destruction as a result of grazing by introduced herbivores such as goats, cattle and horses. The small size of several of the populations If makes them vulnerable to extinction through natural disturbances, inbreeding and population changes of predators and herbivores. The invasion of the highlands of Santa Cruz by exotic Cinchona may lead to a reduction in the fern and sedge vegetation types it favours.

Yellow rail

Coturnicops noveboracensis

Photo by Brian Small (Ministry of Natural Resources)

Common name:
yellow rail (en); franga-d'água-amarela (pt); râle jaune (fr); polluela amarillenta (es); gelbralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species breeds in central and western Canada, from eastern Alberta and the south-eastern Northwest Territories to southern Quebec and New Brunswick, and also in the north-eastern United States, from north-eastern Montana to Maine. They migrate south to winter along the coasts of the south-eastern United States, from North Carolina to Texas.

Size:
These birds are 15-19 cm long and have a wingspan of 28-32 cm. They weigh 40-70 g.

Habitat:
The yellow rail breeds in shallow marshes dominated by sedges and grasses, also using wet grasslands and hay fields. Outside the breeding season they also use arable land, rice fields and saltmarshes.

Diet:
They feed mainly on small freshwater snails, earthworms, crustaceans, spiders and both adult and larval insects. Outside the breeding season they also take the seeds of various sedges, rushes and grasses.

Breeding:
Yellow rails breed in April-July. They are believed to be monogamous and both sexes help build the nest, a crude scrape on the ground lined with fine sedges and grasses. It is usually hidden among vegetation, either near water or sometimes suspended over shallow water. There the female lays 4-10 eggs, which she incubates alone for 17-23 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, but are brooded and fed by the female and possibly also by the male for about 3 weeks. They start flying about 35 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 6.700-17.000 individuals. The overall population trend is stable, although some populations have unknown trendsand some small increases have been recorded.

Buff-spotted flufftail

Sarothrura elegans

Photo by Hugh Chittenden (World Bird Info)

Common name:
buff-spotted flufftail (en); frango-d'água-elegante (pt); râle ponctué (fr); polluela elegante (es); tropfenralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is patchilly distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, from Guinea to Ethiopia and south to Zimbabwe, western and southern Mozambique and eastern South Africa.

Size:
These bird are 15-17 cm long and weigh 40-60 g.

Habitat:
The buff-spotted flufftail is found in forests, thick scrublands, requiring dense overhead and ground cover with soft earth, moss or leaf-litter for foraging. They also use banana and arrowroot plantations and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.200 m.

Diet:
They feed on various invertebrates, such as ants, termites, cockroaches, beetles, grasshoppers, flies, bugs, springtails, small snails, earthworms, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, nematodes, slugs, amphipods and woodlice. They also take some grass seeds, such as bugweed and pigeonwood.

Breeding:
Buff-spotted flufftails breed in September-April. They are monogamous and nest in solitary pairs. The nest is built by the female, consisting of a domed structure with an entrance hole at one end, usually made of dead leaves or grass, twigs, moss and bark, and lined with fine grass, rootlets, moss or leaf fragments. It is typically placed in a shallow excavated depression, well concealed beneath dense cover such as forest grass Oplismenus hirtellus or herbaceous creepers. The female lays 3-5 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 15-16 days. The chicks leave the nest 1-2 days after hatching, but continue to be fed and brooded by the parents. They fledge 19-21 days after hatching. Each pair can raise up to 4 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range. There is no information on population sizes or relative abundance, but is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. In fact, this species is increasing in some areas of South Africa. In some areas they are preyed upon by feral cats.

Red-legged crake

Rallina fasciata

Photo by Edwin Matias (Gear Up, Get Out)

Common name:
red-legged crake (en); franga-d'água-de-patas-vermelhas (pt); râle barré (fr); polluela patirroja (es); Malaienralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is found in south-eastern Asia, from Bangladesh and extreme north-eastern India, through Myanmar and southern Thailand and into southern Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Size:
These birds are 21-25 cm long and have a wingspan of 38-41 cm. They weigh 55-115 g.

Habitat:
The red-legged crake is found in swamps and marshes with reeds, ricefields, wet grasslands, riparian areas within rainforests and sometimes also among scrubland and second growths. It is present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.400 m.

Diet:
They feed on aquatic invertebrates, earthworms and small aquatic vertebrates.

Breeding:
Red-legged crakes nest among thick marshy vegetation. The female lays 3-6 eggs which are incubated by both parents, but there is no information regarding the length of the incubation period. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest 2-3 days after hatching. They follow the parents for several weeks until they become fully independent.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as not very common.
The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the extent of threats to the species and the fact that they are often concealed in dense vegetation, making them very difficult to observe.

Striped crake

Aenigmatolimnas marginalis

Photo by John Carlyon (Zest for Birds)

Common name:
striped crake (en); franga d'água-estriada (pt); marouette rayée (fr); polluela culirroja (es); graukehl-sumpfhuhn (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is patchily distributed in West Africa, from Ghana to Congo and also in the area from Uganda, Kenya and eastern D.R. Congo, south through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and northern Mozambique and into northern Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Size:
These birds are 18-21 cm long.

Habitat:
The striped crake is mostly found in seasonally flooded grasslands with marsh grasses, but also in shallow lakes and rivers, abandoned rice fields and nearby savanna.

Diet:
They feed on invertebrates, such as beetles, grasshoppers, moths, flies, spiders, snails and earthworms, and also small fishes and tadpoles.

Breeding:
Striped crakes are polyandrous, with each female mating with multiple males and having no further part in the breeding process after laying. In southern Africa they breed in December-March. The nest is a small saucer-shaped structure, built of dry grass and concealed in a grass tuft, where the female lays 3-5 eggs which are incubated for 17-18 days. The chicks leave the nest 4-5 days after hatching and rely on the father for protection until fledging, which takes place 46-53 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range but the global population is estimated at just 670-17.000 individuals. The population is thought to be in decline owing to continued habitat loss and degradation through overgrazing, damming, draining and cultivation of seasonal and ephemeral wetlands, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Little crake

Porzana parva

Photo by H. Talpa (Wikipedia)

Common name:
little crake (en); franga d'água-bastarda (pt); marouette poussin (fr); polluela bastarda (es); kleines-sumpfuhn (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is found breeding in eastern Europe and Asia, as far west as Poland and Hungary, with some scattered population further west in Germany, France and even Spain, and as far east as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and southern Russia. They migrate south to winter in the Nile valley, Israel, Yemen and from eastern Iraq to southern Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Size:
These birds are 18-20 cm long and have a wingspan of 34-39 cm. They weigh 35-60 g.

Habitat:
Little crakes inhabit freshwater wetlands with dense emergent vegetation, such as marshes, bogs, lakes, slow-moving rivers, irrigated fields and wet or seasonally flooded grasslands. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on aquatic insects, such as water beetles, bugs, lacewings and adult and larval flies, but also seeds and aquatic plants, worms, snails, spiders and water mites.

Breeding:
The little crake breeds in May-August. They are monogamous and territorial, but pair bonds only last one breeding season. The nest is a shallow mound of plant stems and leaves, placed in thick vegetation near or over water, often in a raised tussock or platform of dead plant material. There the female lays 6-9 ochre eggs with dark spots, which are incubated by both parents for 21-23 days. After hatching the chicks stay in the nest for up to 8 days, after which they go into areas of dense vegetation where they are fed by their parents until fledging, about 50 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 100.000-1.000.000 individuals. The overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations have unknown trends, the main threats being the destruction of wetland habitats and hunting.

Virginia rail

Rallus limicola

Photo by Danny Bonilla (Pine Barrens Animals)

Common name:
Virginia rail (en); frango d'água-da-Virginia (pt); râle de Virginie (fr); rascón de Virginia (es); Virginiaralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
These birds breed across the northern and western United States, as well as in southern Canada. Most population migrate south to winter in Florida, northern Mexico and along the Gulf coast of the United States.

Size:
The Virginia rail is 20-27 cm long and has a wingspan of 32-38 cm. They weigh 65-95 g.

Habitat:
They are mostly found in freshwater marshes with dense emergent vegetation, but also in brackish marshes and coastal saltmarshes. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 3.700 m.

Diet:
Virginia rails feed on small aquatic invertebrates, such as beetles, spiders, snails, earthworms and bugs, and also small fishes frogs, small snakes, aquatic plants and seeds.

Breeding:
These birds breed in May-August. The nest is a platform or basket of loosely woven reeds and grasses, placed over water or on a clump of vegetation. There the female lays 4-13 white or buff eggs with grey or brown spots. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 18-20 days. The chicks leave the nest within a few hours of hatching and are able to swim and drink, but the parents feed them until fledging, 25 days after hatching. Each pair may raise up to 2 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range. The overall population trend is increasing, although some populations have unknown trends. Overall, the species has undergone a large increase of 17 % per decade over the last 4 decades.

White-breasted waterhen

Amaurornis phoenicurus

Photo by M.V. Sheeram (Flickr)

Common name:
white-breasted waterhen (en); franga-d'água-de-peito-branco (pt); râle à poitrine blanche (fr); gallineta pechiblanca (es); weißbrust-kielralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This Asian species is found from Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, across India and southern China and as far east as Japan and as far south as southern Indonesia.

Size:
These birds are 28-33 cm long. Males tend to be larger than females, weighing 200-330 g while female weigh 165-225 g.

Habitat:
The white-breasted waterhen is found in a wide range of wetland habitats where water is surrounded by thick vegetation, namely marshes, swamps, bamboo stands, river banks, reedbeds, ponds and lakes, mangroves, wet grasslands and even along forests edges and scrubland far from water. They can also be found in arable land and waste water treatment areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They eat a wide range of aquatic invertebrates, including insects, worms, spiders, snails, and also small fishes and also the shoots and roots of marsh plants and grass seeds.

Breeding:
White-breasted waterhens can breed all year round, varying between different areas. the nest is a shallow cup made with twigs, stems or leaves, placed on the ground among reeds or other dense vegetation. There the female lays 4-9 brownish or grey eggs with reddish-brown markings, which are incubated by both sexes for 19-20 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and follow their parents around until they are able to fly. Each pair may raise up to 3 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 10.000-100.000 individuals. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes.

Sora

Porzana carolina

Photo by Joseph Kennedy (Science Blogs)

Common name:
sora (en); franga-d'água-americana (pt); marouette de Caroline (fr); polluela sora (es); Carolinasumpfhuhn (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae


Range:
This species is found throughout most of North America, breeding from south-eastern Alaska to Newfoundland and south to California, Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico. Some population migrate south to winter from Mexico, through Central America and into Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.


Size:
These birds are 18-25 cm long and have a wingspan of 30-32 cm. They weigh 50-110 g.


Habitat:
Soras are found in freshwater marshes, flooded fields and swamps with plenty of vegetation for cover. During the winter they also use saltmarshes.


Diet:
They eat various invertebrates, including snails, crustaceans, spiders, and insects, namely beetles, grasshoppers, flies and dragonflies. To some extent they also eat the seeds of various plants, including wild rice Zizania aquatica, crowngrass Paspalum, rice Oryza sativa, spikerushes Eleocharis, duckweeds, pondweeds Potamogeton, panicgrasses Panicum, cordgrasses Spartina, saltgrass Distichlis spicata, hairy crabgrass Digitaria sanguinalis, and bristlegrass Setaria.


Breeding:
Soras breed in April-August. The female builds the nest, a shallow basket made of dead emergent wetland vegetation, attaches to stalks of dense vegetation and placed over or adjacent to water. There she lays 8-13 brown eggs with brown spots, which are incubation by both sexes for 18-20 days. The chicks leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching, but only become independent 4 weeks later. Each pair raises a single brood per season.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the overall population trend is increasing, although some populations are stable.

African rail

Rallus caerulescens

Photo by Callie de Wet (Oiseaux)

Common name:

African rail (en); frango-d'água-africano (pt); râle bleuâtre (fr); rascón cafre (es); Kapralle (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Gruiformes

Family Rallidae

Range:

This African species is occurs from Ethiopia, south through Uganda, Kenya, southern D.R. Congo, Tanzania, eastern Angola and Zambia, and into Namibia, northern Botswana, southern Mozambique and large parts of South Africa.

Size:

These birds are 28-30 cm long and weigh 160-170 g.

Habitat:

The African rail inhabits permanent and temporary swamps and marshes often at the edge of lakes, pools, rivers and streams, and also occurs in seasonally wet sugar-cane plantations and paddy-fields adjacent to natural marshes. It requires shallowly flooded areas with mud and floating vegetation for foraging, and shows a preference for habitats lined with reedbeds or dense species-rich vegetation with channels and runways linking patches of more open growth.

Diet:

These birds do most of their foraging in mud or shallow water along the edges of reedbeds, taking worms, crabs and crayfish, aquatic and terrestrial adult and larval insects, spiders, small fish, small frogs and some vegetable matter including seeds.

Breeding:

African rails are monogamous, solitary nesters and can breed all year round, but with a peak in September-February. They breed in seasonally inundated grasslands and sedge meadows, building a shallow saucer of leaves, sedge stems, bulrushes and grasses, typically concealed within or between grass or sedge tufts, usually over water. The female lays 2-6 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for around 20 days. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest soon after hathcing, but only become fully independent 42-56 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as uncommon to locally common. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the extent of threats to the species, but the African rail is not considered threatened at present.

Hawaian coot

Fulica alai

Photo by Caleb Slemmons (Forestry Images)

Common name:

Hawaian coot (en); galeirão-do-Hawai (pt); foulque des Hawaï (fr); focha hawaiana (es); Hawaiibläßhuhn (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Gruiformes

Family Rallidae

Range:

This species is endemic to the Hawaiian islands, where it is found on all the main islands except Kaho'olawe.

Size:

The Hawaian coot is 33-41 cm long and weighs 650-720 g.

Habitat:

These birds can be found in virtually any body of water, including estuaries, marshes and golf course wetlands. They are typically found in coastal plains, usually below 400 m, but may be present in mountain stock ponds up to 2.000 m above sea level.

Diet:

Hawaian coots mostly eat the seeds and leaves of aquatic plants, but also insects, tadpoles, and small fish.

Breeding:

These birds can breed all year round, nesting in areas of robust emergent plants interspersed with open, fresh or brackish water, usually less than 1 m deep. The nest is made of aquatic vegetation, either floating or anchored to clumps of emergent plants. There the female lays 4-6 eggs which are incubated for 23-27 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, but remain with their parents only fledging some 8 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)

The Hawaian coot has a restricted breeding range and a global population estimated at just 2.000-4.000 individuals. The main threat affecting this species is the destruction of their wetland habitats due to drainage for cultivation and developments such as hotels, housing areas, golf courses, shopping centres, landfill sites, military installations, roads and industrial sites. Introduced predators, such as black rat Rattus rattus, brown rat Rattus norwegicus, domestic cat and dog, small Asian mongoose Herpestes javanicus and cattle egret Bubulcus ibis are an additional threat. The species may also be poisoned by insecticides and herbicides used to treat water channels on agricultural land and golf courses.

Takahe

Porphyrio hochstetteri

(Photo from Of Trees, Birds and Other Things)

Common name:

takahe (en); takahe (pt); talève takahe (fr); takahe (es); Südinseltakahe (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Gruiformes

Family Rallidae

Range:

The takahe is endemic to New Zealand, only being found on the Murchison Mountains of South Island. Conservation efforts have lead to the translocation of populations to the offshore islands of Kapiti, Mana, Tiritiri Matangi and Maud.

Size:

These birds are 63 cm long. Males tend to be larger than female, weighing 2,7 kg while females weigh 2,3 kg.

Habitat:

It originally occurred throughout forest and grass ecosystems. Today it is restricted to alpine tussock grasslands.

Diet:

Takahes primarily consume the leaf bases and seeds of native tussock grasses, including broad leafed snow tussock (Chionochloa rigida), mid-ribbed snow tussock (Chionochloa pallens) and curled snow tussock (Chionochloa crassiuscula). They occasionally take insects as well, especially when raising young.

Breeding:

These birds breed after the end of the Austral winter, from October onwards. The nest is a deep, bowl-like pile of grass, where the female lays 1-3 buff-coloured blotchy eggs. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 30 days. The chicks are fed by both parents, for a period of up to 3 months, after which they become independent. Typically, just one chick per clutch survives the first winter.

Conservation:

IUCN status - EN (Endangered)

The fossil record suggests this species was once widespread throughout New Zealand, but when it was discovered, in the late 1940s, it was already confined to its current very confined breeding range of just 600-700 sq. km. After an initial decline, the population stabilized at just 150-220 individuals, but it is threatened by introduced predators, like the stout Mustela erminea, and competitors, like the red deer Cervus elaphus and the brush-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula. The species was introduced to several predator-free offshore islands where the population is growing slowly due to low hatching and fledging rates.

Black crake

Amaurornis flavirostris

Common name:

black crake (en); franga-d'água-preta (pt); râle à bec jaune (fr); polluela negra africana (es); mohrensumpfhuhn (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Gruiformes

Family Rallidae

Range:

This African species is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, except in very arid areas.

Size:

The black crake is 19-23 cm long and has a wingspan of 25 cm. These birds weigh up 125 g.

Habitat:

They occur on a variety of wetland habitats, requiring moderate vegetation cover and some degree of permanent flooding. Suitable habitats include flowing and still inland freshwaters, the margins of coastal lagoons and estuarine waters, ponds with floating vegetation and the interior of dense or extensive reedbeds, as well as dense undergrowth in boggy forest clearings, or the margins of swampy forest streams.

Diet:

They mostly eat worms, molluscs, crustaceans, adult and larval insects, small fish, small frogs and tadpoles. They also hunt the eggs and nestlings of weavers and herons, and eat seeds and other parts of water plants.

Breeding:

The black crake is monogamous. The nest is built by both sexes, a deep neat bowl placed on the ground, made up of figs, straw and leaves, often under a bush for protection. Each clutch consists of 2-6 cream or white eggs with brown spots. The eggs are incubated for 13-19 days by both parents, sometimes assisted by the young from previous broods. The precocial chicks leave the nest in 1–3 days, but are fed by parents and helpers for 6-12 weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

Although this species is suffering from the loss of their wetland habitats, they have a very wide breeding range and a minimum population of 1 million, so the species is not considered threatened at present.