Ruddy-breasted Crake

Ruddy-breasted Crake

Scientific Name: Zapornia fusca

Malay Name: Sintar-Kecil Belacan Biasa

Chinese Name: 红胸田鸡

Range: Found from Pakistan to India, China, Japan and Southeast Asia

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: fusca, zeylonica, phaeopyga, erythrothorax.

Local Subspecies: fusca

Size: 21-26.5 cm

Identification: Distinguished from Red-legged Crake by plain wings, cold dark olive-brown upperparts, deep reddish-chestnut underparts, indistinct whitish-and-blackish vent-bars and green-based dark bill. Juvenile resembles adult but has darker upperparts and brownish-grey bars/mottlings at underparts.

Similar looking species: Red-legged Crake, Band-bellied Crake

Habitat: Freshwater wetlands and wet grasslands at the edge of ditches and canals.

Behaviour/Ecology: Active mainly at dusk and in the early morning when they will forage at the edges of reedbeds and short distance from dense cover.

Local Status: Uncommon resident

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Location: Lorong Halus, Kranji Marsh, Bishan Park, Tampines Eco Green, Punggol Barat, Marina Barrage and Gardens by the Bay.

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Zapornia fusca. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22692699A93365192.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Taylor, B. (1998). Rails: A Guide to Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the World. Yale University Press.

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