BIRDS of THE WORLD - An Online Bird Book
GRUIFORMES
Family Rallidae: Crakes, Rails (Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe)
See also Crakes, Rails (New World)
GRUIFORMES
Gruiformes means "crane-like", The order include 14 species of large cranes, about 145 species of smaller crakes and rails, as well as a variety of families comprising a small number of species.
Guiformes has the following families
Guiformes has the following families
Family Rallidae: Crakes, Rails (Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe)
See also Crakes, Rails (New World)
The crakes, and rails of the Railidae family generally occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. They are omnivores. Most nest in dense vegetation. Most species walk and run vigorously on strong legs, and have long toes which are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. Some coots and gallinules have a "frontal shield", which is a fleshy rearward extension of the upper bill. The flight of those Rallidae able to fly, while not very powerful, can be sustained for long periods of time and many species undertake annual migrations.
Genus Aenigmatolimnas - 1 species
Crake,_Striped Aenigmatolimnas marginalis Found: Afica
Image by: 1) James_Hogg - Rwanda
1) Female
Genus Amaurornis
Mostly found in Asia; Black Crake found in Africa
Bush-hen,_Isabelline also Sulawesi Waterhen Amaurornis isabellina Found: Indonesia
The Isabelline Bush-hen has olive-brown upperparts; green bill; rufous underparts.
Image by: 1) Ariefrahman 2) Sergey_Yeliseev .jpg){kind=link}
Bush-hen,_Plain Amaurornis olivacea Found: Philippines
Image by: 1) Francesco_Veronesi
Bush-hen,_Rufous-tailed also Rufous-tailed Waterhen Amaurornis moluccana Found: Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands
The Rufous-tailed Bush-hen has dark rufous-brown plumage.
Image by: 1) Tom_Tarrant
Bush-hen,_Talaud Amaurornis magnirostris Found: Karakelang Island in the Talaud Islands of Indonesia
The Talaud Bush-hen has dark brown upperparts; green bill; bluish-gray underparts.
Image by: 1) Jim_Wardill
Crake,_Black Amaurornis flavirostra also Zapornia flavirostra Found: Africa
The Black Crake has black plumage; red eyes, legs; yellow bill.
Similar to: Eurasian Coot. Black Crake has yellow bill and no frontal shield; Eurasian Coot has white bill and frontal shield.
Image by: 1) Nik_Borrow - Ethiopia 2, 3) Arno Meintjes 4) Lip Kee
Yap 5) Pascal Charbonneau - South
Africa 6) Dick Daniels - Bronx ZooSimilar to: Eurasian Coot. Black Crake has yellow bill and no frontal shield; Eurasian Coot has white bill and frontal shield.
1) Juvenile
Crake,_Brown also Brown Bush-hen Amaurornis akool also Zapornia akool Found: south Asia
Image by: 1, 2) J M Garg - India
Rail,_Sakalava Amaurornis olivieri Found: Madagascar
Image by: 1) Laval Roy
Waterhen,_White-breasted Amaurornis phoenicurus Found: Asia
The White-breasted Waterhen has gray upperparts, flanks; white face, neck, breast; cinnamon lower belly, undertail.
Image by: 1) Imran_Shah - Pakistan 2) Lip Kee - Bali 3) Bhardwaj
Shanthanu - India
4) Darren Bellerby - Hong Kong Wetland Park, Hong Kong.jpg){kind=link}
Crake,_White-browed Amaurornis cinerea also Porzana cinerea Found: Australia, Asia
The White-browed Crake has a black eyestripe with white stripes above and below; black and brown upperparts; gray to white underparts.
Image by: 1) JJ Harrison - Thailand 2) P Henne 3) Hiyashi_Haka 4) Brian_McCauley
Genus Aramidopsis - 1 species
Rail,_Snoring Aramidopsis plateni Found: Sulawesi and Buton of Indonesia
The Snoring Rail has brown wings; rufous patch on hind-neck; white chin; gray underparts.
Image by: 1) Adolf_Bernard_Meyer
Genus Atlantisia - 1 species
Rail,_Inaccessible Atlantisia rogersi Found: Inaccessible Island in the Tristan Archipelago (far from Africa and South America)
The Inaccessible Rail is the smallest flightless bird in the world.
Image by: 1, 2) Brian_Gratwicke.jpg){kind=link}
Genus Canirallus - 1 species
Rail,_Gray-throated Canirallus oculeus Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Totodu74 2) Cyril_Laffargue
Genus Coturnicops
See also Coturnicops New World.
Rail,_Swinhoe's Coturnicops exquisitus Found: China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea,
The Swinhoe's rail is the world's smallest rail.
Image by: 1) John_Gerrard_Keulemans 2) Gilles_Delforge - China
Genus Crecopsis - 1 species
Crake,_African Crecopsis egregia Found: most of sub-Saharan Africa
The African Crake has brown upperparts with blackish streaks; blue-gray underparts; black-and-white barred belly, flanks; whitish supercilium; stubby red bill; red eyes.
Image by: 1) Mark_Tittley - South Africa 2) Derek_Keats - Botswana 3) Nik_Borrow - Uganda_cropped_and_mirrored.jpg){kind=link}
Genus Crex
Crake,_Corn Crex Crex Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - specimen in Nairobi National Museum, Kenya 2, 3) Dave Curtis - England 4) Marcel_Holyoak - Jordan
Genus Dryolimnas - 1 species
Rail,_White-throated Dryolimnas cuvieri Found: Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Seychelles
Image by: 1) David Cook - Madagascar 2) Pat and Keith Taylor 3) Jerry_Oldenettel
Genus Eulabeornis - 1 species
Rail,_Chestnut Eulabeornis castaneoventris Found: Australia, New Guinea
Image by: 1) Tom Tarrant 2) Summerdrought
Genus Gallicrex - 1 species
Watercock Gallicrex cinerea Found: Asia including Indonesia, Philippines
The Watercock has mainly gray-black plumage; red legs.
Image by: 1) Vijay_Ismavel 2) Lin_Sun_Fong 3) Koshy - India 4) Hiyashi_Haka 5) LonelyShrimp
1) Juvenile male 2) Female 3 - 5) Male
Genus Gallirallus
Many of these rails that live in the Australasian-Pacific region are flightless. The ones that can fly survive better; not only because of avoiding predators but also because they are not restricted to one location.
Rail,_Barred Gallirallus torquatus Found: Indonesia, Philippines
Image by: 1) John Tasirin - North Sulawesi, Indonesia 2) Francesco_Veronesi - Mindanao, Philippines 3) Ariefrahman
Rail,_Buff-banded Gallirallus philippensis Found: Australasia
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - Miami Zoo 3) Dick - Kuranda Birdworld, Australia 4) Dick - Kiwi Birdlife Park, New Zealand 5) Oystercatcher 6) HeatherW - Victoria
Rail,_Calayan Gallirallus calayanensis Found: Calayan Island in the Philippines
The Calayan Rail has dark brown plumage; orange-red bill, legs. It is flightless.
Image by: 1) James_Eaton
Rail,_Guam Gallirallus owstoni Found: Guam
Almost extinct. However, successfully bred in some zoos.
Image by: 1) Greg Hume - Cincinnati Zoo 2) Dick Daniels - National Aviary 3) Sandy Cole - National Aviary
Rail,_Lord Howe also Lord Howe Woodhen Gallirallus sylvestris Found: Lord Howe Island off Australia coast
Image by: 1) Glen Gergus 2) Toby Hudson 3) Dracophylla
Rail,_New_Britain also Pink-legged Rail Gallirallus insignis Found: New Britain Island (northeast of Papua New Guinea)
The New Britain Rail is also called the Pink-legged Rail.
Image by: 1) Joseph_Smit
Rail,_Okinawa Gallirallus okinawae Found: Okinawa Island in Japan
The Okinawa Rail has olive-brown upperparts; black underparts with white bars; red bill, legs.
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Patrick-Randall
Rail,_Roviana Gallirallus rovianae Found: Solomon Islands
Image by: 1) Salvatore_Chamu
Rail,_Slaty-breasted Gallirallus striatus Found: Indian Subcontinent, southeast Asia
Image by: 1) Hiyashi_Haka Hume and Marshall 2, 3) Hiyashi Haka - Taiwan 4) Devon_Pike - Malaysia
Weka also Woodhen Gallirallus australis Found: New Zealand
Weka have rich brown plumage mottled with black and gray; large reddish bill; sturdy legs and reduced wings; light supercilium.
Image by: 1) Arthur Chapman 2) Hutty McPhoo 3) Alan Liefting 4) Glen Fergus 5) Sid Mosdell 
5) Buff Weka (G. a. hectori)
Genus Gymnocrex
Rail,_Bare-eyed Gymnocrex plumbeiventris Found: New Guinea and nearby islands
The Bare-eyed Rail has bare pink orbital skin.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) Hanom_Bashari
Rail,_Blue-faced Gymnocrex rosenbergii Found: Sulawesi of Indonesia
Image by: 1) Materialscientist 2) Sam_Woods
Rail,_Talaud Gymnocrex talaudensis Found: Talaud Islands of Indonesia
Image by: 1) Bram_Demeulemeester
Genus Habroptila - 1 species
Rail,_Invisible Habroptila wallacii Found: Halmahera in North Maluku, Indonesia
The Invisible Rail has slate-gray plumage; bright red bare skin around eye; red bill, legs.
Image by:
1) Shyamal 2) Paulo_Alves
Genus Himantornis - 1 species
Rail,_Nkulengu Himantornis haematopus Found: Africa
The Nkulengu Rail is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Uganda.
Image by: 1, 2) Nick Borrow - Ghana1) Juvenile
Genus Lewinia
Found in: Australasia
Rail,_Auckland_Islands Lewinia muelleri Found: Auckland Islands 460 km south of New Zealand
The Auckland Islands Rail has chestnut upperparts; gray breast; red-brown head; black-and-white barred flanks; red bill.
Image by: 1) Rod_Morris
Rail,_Brown-banded Lewinia mirifica Found: Philippines
Image by: 1) hbw.com 2) Desmond_Allen - Luzon
2) Juvenile
Rail,_Lewin's Lewinia pectoralis Found: Australia, New Guinea
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) Wayne_Butterworth
Genus Megacrex - 1 species
Rail,_New_Guinea_Flightless Megacrex inepta Found: New Guinea
Image by: 1, 2) Nik_Borrow
Genus Mentocrex
Rail,_Madagascar Wood- Mentocrex kioloides Found: Madagascar
Image by: 1) John Gerrard Keulemans 2) Pete Morris
Rail,_Tsingy_Wood- Mentocrex beankaensis Found: west-central Madagascar
Image by: 1, 2) James_Williams
Genus Nesoclopeus - 1 species
Rail,_Woodford's Nesoclopeus woodfordi Found: New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Image by: 1) John_Gerrard_Keulemans
Genus Porzana
See also Porzana New World.
Crake,_Australian also Australian Spotted Crake Porzana fluminea Found: Australia
The Australian Crake has olive-brown upperparts with black streaks and white freckles; white undertail; dark gray throat, breast; black-and-white barred lower flanks; greenish-yellow bill, orange at base; greenish legs.
Image by: 1) Oystercatcher 2) Tony Morris 3) Frankzed - Victoria, AU 4) David Jenkins - Victoria
Crake,_Baillon's Porzana pusilla also Zapornia pusilla Found: Europe, Asia, Africa, Madagascar, Australasia
The Baillon's Crake has mainly brown upperparts with some white markings; blue-gray face, underparts; yellow or green bill.
Image by: 1) Batupa 2) Frankie Chu 3) birdsaspoetry - Australia 4) Peter Jacobs.jpg){kind=link}
Crake,_Band-bellied Porzana paykullii also Zapornia paykullii Found: Asia
Image by: 1) Sung_Yik-hei 2) Naturelly - Singapore 3) Orban.Balazs
Crake,_Black-tailed Porzana bicolor also Zapornia bicolorFound: Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam
Image by: 1) JJ_Harrison - Thailand 2) Jason_Thompson - Thailand 3) Dibyendu_Ash - India 4) Brendan_Ryan
Crake,_Henderson Porzana atra also Zapornia atra Found: Henderson Island in the southeast Pacific Ocean.
The Henderson Crake has black plumage; red eyes; orange legs.
Image by: 1) p_khoo 2) Orban_Balazs
Crake,_Little Porzana parva also Zapornia parva Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
The male Little Crake has mainly brown upperparts; blue-gray face, underparts; yellow bill with red base. Female has mainly buff plumage; gray face.
Image by: 1) Martien Brand 2) Francesco_Veronesi. 3, 4) Imran_Shah - Pakistan 
Crake,_Ruddy-breasted Porzana fusca also Zapornia fusca Found: Asia
The Ruddy-breasted Crake has brown back; chestnut head, underparts; black-and-white barred lower flank, undertails; red eyes, legs.
Image by: 1, 2) Hiyashi Halso 3) lonelyshrimp - Thailand
Crake,_Spotless Porzana tabuensis also Zapornia tabuensis Found: Australasia
The Spotless Crake has brown upperparts; dark gray head, throat, underparts; red eyes.
Image by: 1) Oystercatcher 2) Aviceda 3) Frankzed
Crake,_Spotted Porzana porzana Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
The Spotted Crake has mainly brown upperparts; blue-gray breast; dark barring and white spots on flanks; short yellow bill with red base; green legs.
Similar to: Water Rail. Spotted Crake has short yellow bill with red base; Water Rail has long red bill.
Image by: 1) Marek Szczepanek 2) Mick Sway 3) Marek_Szczepanek Similar to: Water Rail. Spotted Crake has short yellow bill with red base; Water Rail has long red bill.
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Genus Rallina
Found: Asia, Australasia
Crake,_Andaman Rallina canningi Found: India
The Andaman Crake has glossy chestnut upperparts; blackish head, neck, breast; green bill, legs; boldly barred belly.
Image by: 1, 2) TR_Shankar_Raman
Crake,_Red-legged Rallina fasciata Found: India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malyasio, Thailand
The Red-legged Crake has gray-brown upperparts; red-brown head, neck, breast; black-and-white barred belly.
Image by: 1) Johnny_Wee 2) Darren_Bellerby - Singapore 3) David_Cook
Crake,_Red-necked Rallina tricolor Found: northeast Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands
The Red-necked Crake has gray-brown upperparts; red-brown head, neck, breast; gray-brown belly.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) Tom_Tarrant - north Queensland 3) Francesco_Veronesi 4) Brian_McCauley
1) Incomplete range
Crake,_Slaty-legged Rallina eurizonoides Found: southeast Asia, Indonesia, Philippines
The Slaty-legged Crake has brown back; chestnut head, neck, breast; black-and-white barred belly; whitish throat; green legs.
Image by: 1) Richard2formosa 2) TJ_Parpan 3) Jason_Thompson - Thailand 4) THE PHOTOMATION .jpg){kind=link}
1) Adult and chick
Rail,_Chestnut_Forest Rallina rubra Found: New Guinea
The male Chestnut Forest Rail has reddish chestnut plumage; female has spotted upper mantle.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) Joseph_Smit 3) Jerry_Oldenettel
Rail,_Forbe's Rallina forbesi Found: New Guinea
The male Forbe's Rail distinguished from other mountain ralis by its unpatterned lower back.
Image by: 1, 3) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) John Gould
2) Male on left; female on right 3) female
Rail,_Mayr's Rallina mayri Found: New Guinea
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) Salvatore_Chamu
2) Female - upper; male - lower
Rail,_White-striped_Forest Rallina leucospila Found: northwest Papua New Guinea
Image by: 1) hbw.com
Genus Rallus
These are slim, long-billed rails with slender legs. Their laterally flattened bodies are an adaptation to life in wet reedbeds and marshes, enabling them to slip easily through the dense semi-aquatic vegetation. Typically these birds have streaked brown upperparts, blue-grey on the face or breast, and barred flanks.
See also Rallus New World.
Rail,_African Rallus caerulescens Found: Africa
The African Rail has mainly brown upperparts; blue-gray underparts; black-and-white barring on flanks, undertail; dull red bill; red legs.
Similar to: Water Rail. Water Rail has dark streaks on upperparts; African rail does not have streaks.
Image by: 1) Alan Manson - South Africa 2, 3) Derek_KeatsSimilar to: Water Rail. Water Rail has dark streaks on upperparts; African rail does not have streaks.
Rail,_Brown-cheeked also Eastern Water Rail Rallus indicus Found: Asia
The Brown-cheeked Rail has brown upperparts with dark streaks; brown tinged underparts; brown eye-line.
Similar to: Water Rail. Brown-cheeked Rail has brown eye-line; Water Rail does not.
Image by: 1) characters 2) HankSimilar to: Water Rail. Brown-cheeked Rail has brown eye-line; Water Rail does not.
Rail,_Madagascar Rallus madagascariensis Found: Madagascar
The Madagascar Rail has mainly plain brown plumage; some streaks on upperparts, breast; grayish throat, face; white under-tail.
Image by: 1) Marc des Murs 2) David Cook
Rail,_Water Rallus aquaticus Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
The Water Rail has mainly brown upperparts with dark streaks; blue-gray face, underparts; black barring on flanks; long reddish bill.
Similar to: African Rail. Water Rail has dark streaks on upperparts; African rail does not have streaks.
Similar to: Brown-cheekedl. Brown-cheeked Rail has brown eye-line; Water Rail does not.
Similar to: Spotted Crake. Spotted Crake has short yellow bill with red base; Water Rail has long red bill.
Image by: 1) Jan Svetlík 2) Pierre Dalous 3) Rudo Jurecek 4) Cristiano Crolle - Racconigi, Italy Similar to: African Rail. Water Rail has dark streaks on upperparts; African rail does not have streaks.
Similar to: Brown-cheekedl. Brown-cheeked Rail has brown eye-line; Water Rail does not.
Similar to: Spotted Crake. Spotted Crake has short yellow bill with red base; Water Rail has long red bill.
Genus Rougetius - 1 species
Rail,_Rouget's Rougetius rougetii Found: Eritrea, Ethiopia
Image by: 1) Kris_Maes 2) Rafael_Medina - Ethiopia 3) Carsten_ten_Brink - Ethopia 4) Nik_Borrow - Ethiopia
The Heliornithidae are a small family of tropical birds with webbed lobes on their feet like those of grebes and coots. Finfoots resemble rails; they have long necks, slender bodies, broad tails, and sharp, pointed bills. Their legs and feet are brightly colored and, unlike grebes, they are capable of walking well and even moving quickly on land. They have a diverse range of calls, but do not call frequently.
Genus Heliornis - 1 species
Finfoot, American also Sungrebe Heliornis fulica Found: Mexico to South America
The American Finfoot has mainly brown plumage; black crown, nape; white throat, chin, extended supercilium; lobed toes banded with dull yellow and black. Female has rufous patch on face.
Image by: 1) Allan Hopkins - Guyana 2) Muchaxo 3) Dave Curtis - Guyana 1, 2) Female 3) Male
Genus Heliopais - 1 species
Finfoot,_Masked Heliopais personatus Found: Indian subcontinent, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia
The Masked Finfoot has brown upperparts; black mask tapers to black neck streak; sharp bill; green lobed feet; pale breast. Male has black chin; female has white chin.
Image by: 1) Tunpin.ong - Kuala Lumpur 2) pinned 
1, 2) Female
Genus Podica - 1 species
Finfoot, African Podica senegalensis Found: Africa
The African finfoot is an underwater specialist with a long neck, a striking sharp bill, and bright red, lobed feet. The plumage varies by race, generally pale underneath and darker on top. The males are usually darker than the females.
Image by: 1) Sias van Schalkwyk - South Africa 2) Frans_Vandewalle - Gambia 2) Lodewijk Nell - Zambia 4) Gip Gipukan 5) Francesco Veronesi - Uganda
Order Gruiformes Family Sarothruridae - 1 genus
The flufftails are related to the rails. They are found in sub-S aharan Africa and also in Madagascar. They are secretive birds and difficult to observe. The eggs of all species that have been observed are white, which is unusual for rails. Their tails are short and softer than normal.
Genus Sarothrura
Flufftail, Buff-spotted also Buff-spotted Crake Sarothrura elegans Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - specimen in Nairobi National Museum, Kenya 2) Bart Wursten - Zimbabwe 3) David_Bygott - Tanzania
Flufftail,_Chestnut-headed Sarothrura lugens Found: Africa
The Chestnut-headed Flufftail has chestnut colored head.
Image by: 1) hbw.com
Flufftail, Madagascar Sarothrura insularis Found: humid forest of east and northwest Madagascar
Image by: 1) John Gerrard Keulemans 2) Callan_Cohen
Flufftail_Red-chested Sarothrura rufa Found: Africa
Image by: 1, 2) Peter_Ginn - South Africa
1) Female 2) male
Flufftail, Slender-billed Sarothrura watersi Found: highlands of east Madagascar
Image by: 1) John Gerrard Keulemans 2) Lucienne Wilma
Flufftail,_Streaky-breasted Sarothrura boehmi Found: Louis_Andre_Hansen
Image by: 1) Louis_Andre_Hansen - Tanzania
Flufftail,_Striped Sarothrura affinis Found: Africa
The male Striped Flufftail has chestnut head; white throat; rest of plumage mainly black with whte stripes. Female has brown replacing black with lighter streaks.
Image by: 1) Niall_Perrins - South Africa
Flufftail,_White-spotted Sarothrura pulchra Found: Africa
Image by: 1, 2) Francesco_Veronesi - Ghana 2) Dave Curtis - Kenya 3) Nik_Borrow - Uganda
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Flufftail_White-winged Sarothrura ayresi Found: Africa
Image by: 1) John_Gerrard_Keulemans 2) Clive Kaplan
