Crex crex
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Mass
~160 g
Habitat
Grasslands and meadows
Diet
Omnivore
How to recognize it
The corn crake is a shy, hard-to-see inhabitant of tall grass. Up close it looks compact and short-winged, and in flight it is more memorable for its awkward, low escape than for any graceful shape.
Most people notice it first by the male’s call, a harsh, repeated “krek-krek” that carries a long way and is especially active at night. Outside the breeding season it stays quiet, slips through cover quickly, and when alarmed usually prefers to run rather than fly far.
In spring and summer it uses damp meadows, hayfields, overgrown crops, and other grassy places with plenty of cover. It feeds mainly on insects, worms, slugs, and snails, along with seeds and green plant parts, and spends the winter in Africa in grassy savannas.
Quick Facts
Listen to the call
The corn crake is a shy, hard-to-see inhabitant of tall grass. Up close it looks compact and short-winged, and in flight it is more memorable for its awkward, low escape than for any graceful shape.
Most people notice it first by the male’s call, a harsh, repeated “krek-krek” that carries a long way and is especially active at night. Outside the breeding season it stays quiet, slips through cover quickly, and when alarmed usually prefers to run rather than fly far.
In spring and summer it uses damp meadows, hayfields, overgrown crops, and other grassy places with plenty of cover. It feeds mainly on insects, worms, slugs, and snails, along with seeds and green plant parts, and spends the winter in Africa in grassy savannas.
