- Zapornia fusca
Porzana fusca
Identification
21-23 cm (8¼-9 in)
- Light brown back
- Chestnut head and underparts
- White barring on flanks and undertail
- Yellowish bill
- Red eyes, legs, and feet
- Long toes and short tail
Female similar but paler, with a white throat
Juveniles are dark brown with some white spotting.
Distribution
From India and Sri Lanka to the Philippines and from Japan to Indochina
Taxonomy
Placed in genus Porzana by IOC.
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies1:
- Z. f. fusca - Pakistan and India to Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines
- Z. f. zeylonica - Western peninsular India and Sri Lanka
- Z. f. erythrothorax - Japan, eastern China, Manchuria, Indochina and Taiwan
- Z. f. phaeopyga - Ryukyu Islands
Habitat
Reedy swamps and similar wet areas, stream banks, wet grassland, reedbeds and rice paddies.
Behaviour
Breeding
They construct the nest in a dry patch on the ground in marshy vegetation. The clutch consists of 6-9 eggs.
Diet
The diet consists of molluscs, aquatic insects, larvae, as well as shoots of marsh plants, seeds and berries.
Vocalisation
Usually silent, but in early morning and evening utters hard tewk or kyot during breeding season.
Movements
Partially migratory usually arriving in the northern part of their breeding range in May.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Taylor, B. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Ruddy-breasted Crake (Zapornia fusca). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53664 on 2 April 2019).
- Wikipedia contributors. (2018, September 5). Ruddy-breasted crake. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:42, April 7, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ruddy-breasted_crake&oldid=858254910
- BirdForum Member observations
- Brazil, M.A. (1991) The Birds of Japan. Smithsonian Inst. Press.
- Ripley, S.D. (1977) Rails of the World: A Monograph of the Family Raillidae. Godine, Boston.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Ruddy-breasted Crake. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Ruddy-breasted_Crake
External Links
