Rails and coots · Cranes and rails
Little crake
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Zapornia parva
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How to recognize it
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18–20 cm, smaller and slimmer than a moorhen
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Brown upperparts, male with blue-grey underparts
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Olive-yellow bill with red at the base
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Call "kwek-kwek"; female also gives "pyok-pyok-pyoll"
About the species
The little crake wears brown upperparts with a bluish-grey face and underparts, and the chestnut tone is broken by a red base on the bill. Green legs and long toes give it a neat look when it slips through shallow water.
It keeps low and secretive in reed beds, often showing itself only when it moves along the edge or swims between stems. The voice is a sharp "kua," and the call can sound like "quek-quek" at dawn.
It lives in marshes and thick stands of reeds, cattail, and similar plants, usually away from the open bank. It probes mud and shallow water for insects and other small aquatic prey, and it migrates, spending winter in Africa.
Where to find
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Along reed-fringed pond edges and old canal banks — especially in the morning, when Little crake swims right beside the reeds.
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In shallow weedy margins with rushes and sedges — look for quick dashes and bill-probing in muddy water.
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On quiet marshy corners beside city water — dense reed beds often give away a sharp «kwek-kwek» call before a glimpse between the stems.
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On flooded banks and puddled mud after rain — comes out to feed at the waterline, making short, cautious movements.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Zapornia parva Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Little crake Encyclopedia article