Baillon's crake

Baillon's crake (Porzana pusilla) is a bird in the family Gruiformes. It lives in many parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania.
Subspecies

There are at least five subspecies of Baillon's crake: the marsh crake Porzana pusilla affinis lives in New Zealand, Porzana pusilla palustris lives in Australia and New Guinea, Porzana pusilla mira lives in Borneo, Porzana pusilla intermedia lives in Africa and Porzana pusilla pusilla lives in Asia and other places.

Appearance

Baillon's crake has medium-brown feathers on the top of its body with black marks and white spots. The feathers on the front and underside of its body are light gray. Its bill and legs are yellow-green. Its eyes are red.

Habitat and food
Baillon's crakes live in wetlands, for example swamps. They sometimes run across the top of the water on floating plants.

Baillon's crakes eat animals without bones, for example insects, crustaceans, and snails. They catch them in the mud at the edges of wetlands and from floating plants.

Breeding
Baillon's crake makes a simple nest out of dry plants. It hides the nest in little raised bits of ground near the edge of the swamp. Both the male and female crake sit on the eggs and watch the chicks.

References

Category:Rallidae