Rallina eurizonoides
The Slaty-legged Crake (Rallina eurizonoides) is a medium-sized, secretive rail, typically measuring around 23-25 cm in length and weighing 150-200 grams. Its most striking features include a distinctive slaty-grey head, neck, and breast, contrasting sharply with a chestnut mantle and black-and-white barred flanks and belly. The vibrant red legs and feet, coupled with a yellowish bill, are key identification marks, although the common name can be misleading as the 'slaty' refers to its body p...
Found in dense, moist lowland habitats including freshwater wetlands, marshes, overgrown rice paddies, and forest undergrowth, typically below 1000m elevation but occasionally up to 2000m.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and worms, supplemented with small mollusks, rice grains, and other seeds.
Slaty-legged Crakes are intensely secretive and largely crepuscular or nocturnal, spending most of their time hidden in dense vegetation. They forage by probing soft mud and leaf litter with their bills, often sifting through decaying matter for invertebrates. Their territorial behavior, while no...
The Slaty-legged Crake boasts an expansive distribution across South and Southeast Asia, extending from the Indian subcontinent eastward through Southeast Asia to the Philippines, Taiwan, and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. Its breeding range covers a broad area including Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, ...
Least Concern
- The common name 'Slaty-legged Crake' is a misnomer; its legs are actually bright red, while its head and breast are slaty-grey. - Despite its widespread distribution, it is one of the most difficult crakes to observe due to its extremely shy and secretive nature. - This bird is far more often h...