This small, dark, secretive rail is more often heard than seen.  The head and underparts are leaden grey with a bluish sheen, the upperparts are dark brown and the undertail is black barred with white.  The short bill is black, the eye and eye-ring are red and athe legs reddish in colour.  The varied calls include a sharp ‘pit-pit’, a repeated ‘book’ and a distinctive rolling ‘purrrrrrrr’.

The spotless crake eats worms, snails, spiders, tadpoles, insect larvae and seeds of aquatic plants and fallen fruits.

Breeding is from August to February.  The bulky, cup-shaped nest is composed of grasses and sedge.   On the mainland it is sited half to a metre above the water but on islands is often under dense cover on the ground.  The clutch of 2 – 4 eggs is incubated by both parents for 20 – 22 days.  The black downed chicks leave the nest within 2 days and are looked after by both parents until they reach adult size at 4 – 5 months old.

In recent times on Tiri it has been possible to see spotless crake reasonably easily with a little patience.

Photography by:  Peter Craw ©

References: Heather, B.D.; Robertson, H.A. 2000 The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand. Auckland, Viking.