mdahlem.net WWW

European birds    Bird names   News   Family groups 1-26    Glossary    Plumage    Tips    Thumbnails    Gen. info    Credits    Photos for sale
NON-PASSERINES     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10     11     12     13     14	15     16     17     18     19     20     21     22     23     24     25     26     PASSERINES
Common names sorted alphabetically: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   V   W   Y

7

Baillon's Crake (Porzana pusilla) Alternate name(s): "Marsh Crake*", "Tiny Crake*" German name(s): "Zwergsumpfhuhn" Size: 15-18 cm

Europe: Family Group 7 Family Group 7 Table Western Swamphen Common Moorhen Eurasian Coot Red-knobbed Coot Baillon's Crake Water Rail Little Bustard Common Crane Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European 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 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 irises 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.

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. In Europe, apart from isolated locations mostly in France, but also in Germany and the Netherlands, Baillon's Crakes, race "palustris", are breeding migrants to the South-east of the continent, mainly Bulgaria, Romania, Bielorussia, Ukraine and south-western Russia. During their migration they can also be found in parts of Hungary and Greece, Sardinia and southen Spain. 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" We have not seen Baillon's Crakes in Europe yet, but race "palustris" has been spotted in Australia.

Photos

Race "palustris"

We have not photographed Baillon's Crakes in Europe yet, but race "palustris" has been photographed in Australia.

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.

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, 23 November 2018, 20:00 +00:00