Red-necked crake

The red-necked crake (Rallina tricolor) is a waterbird in the rail and crake family, Rallidae.

Red-necked crake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Rallina
Species:
R. tricolor
Binomial name
Rallina tricolor
Gray, 1858
Synonyms

Tomirdus tricolor (Gray, 1858)

Description

The red-necked crake is a large crake (length 25 cm, wingspan 40 cm, weight 200 g). Its head, neck and breast are red-brown, with a paler version of that color on the throat. The upperparts are grey-brown, while the underparts are grey-brown with pale barring. The underwing is barred black and white, the bill green, and the legs grey-brown.

Distribution and habitat

Red-necked crakes live in the Moluccas, Lesser Sundas, New Guinea lowlands and adjacent islands, and north-eastern Australia. They are found in tropical rainforests and dense vegetation close to permanent wetlands.

Behaviour

Diet

The bird's diet consists of amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans and molluscs.

Breeding

The bird rests on or close to ground in dense vegetation. It lays clutches of 3-5 dull-white eggs, the incubation periods of which are around 20 days. The chicks emerge covered in black down, precocial and nidifugous.

Voice

The crake makes repetitive clicking calls and soft grunts.

Conservation

With a large range and no evidence of significant decline, this species is assessed as being of least concern. The species is little studied and seldom seen due to its secretive nature, but appears to be locally common in New Guinea. In Australia it has suffered declines due to habitat loss.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Rallina tricolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • BirdLife International. (2007). Species factsheet: Rallina tricolor. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 14/6/2007
  • Marchant, S.; Higgins, P.J.; & Davies, J.N. (eds). (1994). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 2: Raptors to Lapwings. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0-19-553069-1
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