Page 421 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

CRAKES AND COOTS
Family Rallidae Species Porzana parva Family Rallidae Species Porzana pusilla
Little Crake Baillon’s Crake

A tiny, elusive bird of dense waterside vegetation and Compared with the Little Crake, this is a rounder,
ditches, sometimes emerging onto open mud or weed, dumpier, short-winged, and short-tailed bird. Sexes are
the Little Crake looks like a tiny Water Rail (see p.156) alike: brown above with black-edged white flecks, grey
with a short bill. Males are blue-grey and unmarked below with white bars on the flanks; the bill is green
below, and brown with blackish streaks and a few long (red at base on Little and Spotted Crakes, see p.157)
buff lines above. Females are pale brown, buff beneath, and the legs greenish. Juveniles are greyer and more
with a few blackish streaks on top. barred than paler young Little Crakes.
OCCURRENCE Sporadic across C and E Europe; OCCURRENCE Rare and very local in W Europe;
vagrant in W. vagrant in NW.
VOICE Nasal, yapping notes accelerate into fast trill. VOICE Quiet, short, soft, dry rattle.
green bill
blackish streaks on short wings with no
long wings pale brown back red
and tail red base ADULT
to bill

FEMALE

Length 17–19cm (6 1 ⁄2 –7 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 34–39cm (13 1 ⁄2 –15 1 ⁄2in) Length 16–18cm (6 1 ⁄2 –7in) Wingspan 33–37cm (13–14 1 ⁄2in)

Family Rallidae Species Fulica cristata Family Rallidae Species Porphyrio porphyrio
Crested Coot Purple Gallinule
Rare in Europe, this bird is very like a Coot (see This huge Moorhen-like (see p.158) bird is often
p.159). It is best distinguished by a duller bill against elusive in thick, reedy swamps, but comes into the
the white facial shield, a rather more rounded shape open at times. It is immediately obvious: large and
to the black face against the bill base, often a “bump” purplish blue (in Egypt, with a green back and
near the tail when swimming, and a plainer turquoise face).The massive red bill and shield and
upperwing with no pale trailing edge.The small red long pink-red legs are easy to see, as is the bold white
knobs on the forehead which give it its name are patch under the short tail.
usually hard to see but can be quite obvious in spring. OCCURRENCE SW Spain, Corsica, Egypt.
OCCURRENCE Very rare in SW Spain, Morocco. VOICE Loud, abrupt, bleating and hooting red
shield
VOICE Shrill double note, unlike Coot, and hollow, calls, hardly bird-like in tone.
nasal ka-hah.
purplish blue
red knobs on body
ADULT (SPRING)
forehead
bulging greyish body large
rump red
bill
bold white
patch under tail
long pink-red legs

ADULT
Length 39–44cm (15 1 ⁄2 –17 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 75–85cm (30–34in) Length 45–50cm (18–20in) Wingspan 90–100cm (35–39in)
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