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7

Baillon's Crake (Porzana pusilla) Alternate name(s): "Marsh Crake*", "Tiny Crake*" Size: 15-18 cm Weight: 25-35 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Baillon's Crakes are small wetland birds. They have highly cryptic plumage. Their front (sides of head, throat, breast) is light-grey. The cap and nape of the neck and uppertail are brown, while the wings are brown with dark-brown and white speckles. The only difference between the sexes is that female Baillon's Crakes have a ruous eye-stripe, while males don't. The irises of both sexes are red, the bill, legs and feet are olive-green. Juvenile Baillon's Crakes have paler colours than adults; in particular, their front is rufous to light-brown, rather than grey, and they have near-white malar stripes. Twitcher's tip Compared to Australian Spotted Crakes, Baillon's Crakes are lighter and have a barred undertail.

Taxonomy, classification See Baillon's Crake at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of Baillon's Crake is available HERE . Baillon's Crakes are a partially migratory species with a wide-ranging distribution. The Eurasian population breeds in parts of (mainly eastern) Europe and farther East, northwards of the North coast of the Black Sea, into central Asia. Recent records establish that they are also found in parts of Germany, the Netherlands and France. The European population migrates South to spend the northern winters in East Africa, while the Asian population tends to migrate towards South Asia. On their migrations they are occasionally found in areas such as e.g. Asia Minor, the Middle East and Arabia. There are also sedentary populations in southern Asia and in Australia. Baillon's Crakes, race "palustris", are breeding migrants to Australia from the North, via the Torres Strait. They can be found along most of the Australian coastline, except the Nullarbor in WA/SA. They move farther inland into the Great Dividing Range from about Brisbane, QLD, southwards, to about the VIC/SA border. They are also found in swamps along the major rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin (in parts of which they breed). Anywhere else inland, i.e. roughly in the eastern half of the continent, plus the Top End of the NT, plus the Kimberley and along a wide near-coastal strip from about Exmouth, WA, to Esperance, WA, they are found only occasionally. Baillon's Crakes have a preference for well-vegetated swamps around freshwater and brackish water. They often shelter in sedges or reeds.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "palustris" B. Hensen reports spotting Baillon's Crakes, race "palustris", at Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, in December 2012. J. Greaves reports finding an immature Baillon's Crake, race "palustris", at North Lake, near Fremantle, WA, in December 2015. M. Eaton reports spotting several Baillon's Crakes, race "palustris", at Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, in August 2017 and again in August 2018. M. Windeyer reports spotting several Baillon's Crakes, race "palustris", repeatedly at Tiger Bay Wetlands, Warren, NSW, e.g. in October 2017. M. Mearns reports finding a Baillon's Crake, race "palustris", at Lake Nuga Nuga, Arcadia Valley, QLD, in August 2020.

Photos

Race "palustris"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male Baillon's Crake (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2012]

Frontal view of a male Baillon's Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2018]

Near-frontal view of a male Baillon's Crake (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2012]

Near-lateral view of a male Baillon's Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a male Baillon's Crake (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2012]

Lateral view of a male Baillon's Crake (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2012]

Lateral view of a male Baillon's Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2017]

Lateral view of a male Baillon's Crake wading through a swamp (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Tiger Bay Wetlands, Warren, NSW, October 2017]

Lateral view of a male Baillon's Crake, here seen swimming across shallow water (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Tiger Bay Wetlands, Warren, NSW, October 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a male Baillon's Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2018]

FEMALE

Near-frontal view of a female(?) Baillon's Crake - note the faint rufous eye-stripe; for size comparison an Eurasian Coot on the right (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2012]

Close-up lateral view of a female Baillon's Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2018]

Female(?) Baillon's Crake stretching a wing (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2012]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Baillon's Crake; note the light-grey front and malar stripe (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[North Lake, near Fremantle, WA, December 2015]

Lateral view of a juvenile Baillon's Crake wading through shallow water (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[North Lake, near Fremantle, WA, December 2015]

Food, Diet

Baillon's Crake pulling up part of an under water plant (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2017]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 21 August 2020, 20:08 +00:00