- Rallina eurizonoides
Identification
21–25 cm (8¼-9¾ in); a flat-bodied crake
- Brown back
- Chestnut head and breast
- Black and white barring on flanks, belly and undertail.
- White throat
- Yellowish bill
- Green legs with long toes
- Short tail
Sexes are similar
Juveniles: dark brown. They share the belly barring and white throat with the adults
Distribution
Asia: found from India and Pakistan to Japan; the Philippines, the Sulawesi Islands, the Sula Islands, and western Micronesia.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 7 subspecies[1]:
- R. e. amauroptera:
- R. e. telmatophila:
- R. e. sepiaria:
- Ryukyu Islands
- R. e. formosana:
- Taiwan and Lan-yü I.
- R. e. eurizonoides;
- Philippines; vagrant to Palau Islands (western Micronesia)
- R. e. alvarezi:
- Batan Islands (northern Philippines)
- R. e. minahasa:
- Sulawesi and Sula Islands
Habitat
Forests and forest edges, well-wooded areas and scrub, swamps.
Behaviour
They are thought to be a partial nocturnal species.
Breeding
Nests are built in a dry area of dense vegetation on the ground or in a low bush. The clutch consists of 4-8 eggs.
Diet
They have a varied diet which consists of molluscs, worms and insects; also plant material such as the shoots and seeds of marsh plants.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2014)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Slaty-legged Crake. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Slaty-legged_Crake
