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.