African Crake
Crex egregia
Reedbeds. Dark mottled upperparts; grey below with mottled rump.
Crakes, Flufftails, Rails
LC
Locally Rare
Description
Uncommon summer visitor. Heavily mottled upper parts and boldly barred underparts distinctive. Bill pinkish, eye red and often with narrow white eyebrow. Could also be confused with longer-billed African Rail. Utters a high-pitched chittering trill of eight or nine notes. Found in grassland, vleis and thickets, usually but not necessarily near water. Secretive but will emerge to visit rain puddles on roads. It flushes easily.
Quick Facts
Size
20-23 cm - M
Names
A: Afrikaanse Riethaan
Z: umjekejeke waseAfrika
Ss: Kgoholelhaka ya Afrika
G: Steppenralle
Bird Family
Small birds associated with wetlands. They are highly secretive and difficult to flush, but once airborne fly a short distance with legs dangling before dropping back into cover; they can seldom be flushed a second time. Calls are usually the only indication of a species' presence. Crakes and rails have mostly cryptic colouring. The minute flufftails or pygmy crakes show marked sexual dimorphism.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
Found in 'grassland', vleis and thickets, usually but not necessarily near water.
