Spotless Crake

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 the 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 two days and are looked after by both parents until they reach adult size at 4 – 5 months old.

On Tiritiri Matangi numbers of spotless crake vary, probably depending on the conditions. They are often heard and sometimes seen around the edges of the ponds, but can occur almost anywhere in the bush areas.

Discover more about spotless crake at New Zealand Birds Online.

Photography by:  Kay Milton ©

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