Scientific Name: Rallina fasciata
Malay Name: Sintar-Merah Kaki Api
Chinese Name: 红腿斑秧鸡
Range: Found from Northeast India to Southeast Asia with northern populations wintering to the south.
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 22-25 cm
Identification: Adult has chestnut-tinged brown upperparts, mostly dull chestnut head and breast, black-and-whitish bars on wing-coverts, distinctive bold black-and-whitish bars on lower breast to vent and red legs and feet. Juvenile resembles adult but has paler brown upperparts, head, neck and breast, underparts bars duller and much less distinct and brownish-yellow legs.
Similar looking species: Slaty-legged Crake, Ruddy-breasted Crake, Band-bellied Crake
Habitat: Streams and wet areas in forest, secondary growth, gardens and parks.
Behaviour/Ecology: Forages by carefully walking through wet areas of secondary growth and forest, and picking up food items with its bill from the wet ground and leaf litter.
Local Status: Common resident and migrant (?)
Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)
Location: Singapore Botanic Gardens, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Bukit Batok Nature Park, Central Catchment Forest, Lorong Halus, Sungei Buloh and Gardens by the Bay.
- Local extinctions of Singapore birds (Science)
- Bird Calls of Singapore (Birders' Stories)
Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Red-legged Crake)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Rallina fasciata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22692314A93347601.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Red-legged Crake. Retrieved on May 19, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/red-legged-crake.