Page 157 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

RAILS, CRAKES,AND COOTS
Order Gruiformes Family Rallidae Species Crex crex
Corncrake
stout, short
pink bill
less grey
strong, narrow than male soft grey
but rounded, and buff
rufous wings face
white and brown
bars on flanks
grey
throat
pink and
legs breast
ADULT
FEMALE
IN FLIGHT tawny back with
bold black streaks

FLIGHT: low, short flight with quick wingbeats and
trailing feet; drops down to cover quickly.
orncrakes skulk in hay (or iris
Cand nettle beds early in spring)
and are hard to see, but singing males
are easy to hear especially at dusk.
Migrants are generally rare and take people
by surprise, suddenly rising underfoot and
looking surprisingly rufous.The advent of MALE
advanced, intensive farming threatens the survival of
Corncrakes in eastern Europe, where good numbers
still remain; last-ditch conservation efforts have
protected them in western Scotland.There they prefer
hay in flowery meadows, with longer, rougher
vegetation in field corners or overgrowing dry stone
walls to give plenty of thick cover.
VOICE Loud, repeated double-note: at distance light,
scratched or rasped crik crik; at close range hard,
rattling, deep, vibrating crrek crrek.
NESTING Small, leaf- and grass-lined hollow on
ground, with grass cover to conceal top; 8–12 eggs;
1 or 2 broods; May–August. PEERING FROM COVER
FEEDING Picks insects, seeds, leaves, and shoots from The Corncrake keeps well hidden in long grass and occasionally peers
foliage and ground, in steady, springy walk. upwards into open view with its head raised.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Widespread but scarce or rare in
greyer QUAIL 32; France and C Europe; very rare
see p.152
in Ireland and W Scotland. Breeds
green dark smaller, in hayfields and wet grass with
legs wings rounder dense cover in spring and in late
body summer harvest (unable to survive
in early-cut silage).
speckled
SPOTTED CRAKE with white Seen in the UK
see p.157 JF M A M J JA S ON D
Length 27–30cm (10 1 ⁄2 –12in) Wingspan 46–53cm (18–21in) Weight 135–200g (5–7oz)
Social Family groups Lifespan 5–7 years Status Vulnerable
155