7

Spotless Crake (Porzana tabuensis) Alternate name(s): "Leaden Crake", "Tabuan Crake", "Swamp-rail", "Little Swamp-hen", "Puekeko*", "Putoto" Aboriginal name(s): Race "tabuensis": "warradja" (WA) Size: 17-20 cm Body mass: 35-55 g

Australia: Family Group 7 Family Group 7 Table Dusky Moorhen Australasian (Purple) Swamphen Black-tailed Native-hen Tasmanian Native-hen Pale-vented Bush-hen Eurasian Coot White-browed Crake Spotless Crake Baillon's Crake Australian Spotted Crake Lewin's Rail Buff-banded Rail Red-necked Crake Chestnut Rail White-breasted Waterhen Lord Howe Woodhen Australian Bustard Brolga Sarus Crane Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Spotless Crakes are small wetland birds. They have the darkest "jizz" of the small wetland species. Head and front (throat, chest, belly) are very dark grey, the upperparts (mantle, uppertail, wings) are very dark brown. The undertail is grey-brown barred. The bill is black, the irises are red and the legs and feet are also conspicuously orange-red.

Taxonomy, classification See Spotless 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 the Spotless Crake is available HERE . Apart from Australia, Spotless Crakes are also found on many Pacific islands and New Zealand. In Australia only the nominate race tabuensis of the Spotless Crake is found. They populate primarily the following areas: Greater Brisbane, QLD, and its hinterland on the East coast of Australia, the coastal strip from North of the Hunter estuary to South of Sydney in NSW, the coastal areas of VIC, the northern and eastern coastal areas of Tasmania and along the Murray River and its major tributaries. Spotless Crakes, race tabuensis, are also present in the coastal areas on the south-western tip of WA. Occasionally Spotless Crakes, race tabuensis, can be found over much larger parts of the Australian continent, namely all of QLD (except the far western part to the north of SA), all of NSW/VIC, and the eastern half of SA. In addition, they are sometimes found in the western third of WA and the coastal area of northern WA and the area around Darwin, NT. Spotless Crakes prefer to live in freshwater swamps, often staying in hard-to-access areas and in semi-darkness, such as dense reeds.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "tabuensis" C. Charles reports spotting Spotless Crakes, race tabuensis, at Triangle Pond in Homebush, Sydney, NSW, in January 2009. B. Hensen reports spotting Spotless Crakes, race tabuensis, at Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, in November 2013, where they were feeding dependent young at the time. We first spotted a single Spotless Crake, race tabuensis, at Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, in December 2016. M. Eaton reports finding a Spotless Crake, race tabuensis, at Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, in September 2018 and again in February/March 2019. They were also found at Whites Hill Reserve, Brisbane, QLD, in February 2019. M. Windeyer found a Spotless Crake, race tabuensis, in Gilgandra, NSW, during the spring of 2019. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports spotting a Spotless Crake, race tabuensis, at Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, in November 2020.

Photos

Race "tabuensis"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Spotless Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, February 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Spotless Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, September 2018]

Lateral view of a Spotless Crake (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, November 2020]

Lateral view of a Spotless Crake (photo courtesy of C. Charles)
[Triangle Pond, Homebush, Sydney, NSW, January 2009]

Lateral view of a Spotless Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, September 2018]

Lateral view of a Spotless Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, February 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Spotless Crake (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, February 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Spotless Crake foraging for food (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, March 2019]

Slightly blurred dorsal view of a Spotless Crake
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

Lateral view of a Spotless Crake in flight, with a view of its underwing pattern (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, November 2013]

Lateral view of a Spotless Crake in flight, with a view of its upperwing pattern (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, November 2013]

Lateral view of a Spotless Crake in flight, here seen carrying an insect back to its dependent young
( photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, November 2013]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a Spotless Crake chick; note the off-white cheek (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whites Hill Reserve, Brisbane, QLD, February 2019]

Frontal view of a Spotless Crake chick; note the off-white cheek (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whites Hill Reserve, Brisbane, QLD, February 2019]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary

Although not streaked, the plumage of Spotless Crakes is also cryptic - it is adapted to camouflage the birds in the dark, often muddy habitats they prefer.

Spotless Crake moving along the edge of a well-vegetated lake, in this case a small, disused and largely silted-up water storage dam - this is the only thing one may be able to pick up before the bird disappears from view again; even in the original photo, taken with a 300-mm tele-lens, it is hard to spot ("find the bird!" - at the base of the reed stalks, just below the centre of the image)
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.