Porzana fusca
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) and HuttyMcphoo (photography) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The ruddy-breasted crake (Zapornia fusca), or ruddy crake, is a waterbird in the rail and crake family Rallidae, formerly included in the genus Porzana. Its breeding habitat is swamps and similar wet areas across South Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to south China, Japan and Indonesia. It has been recorded as a vagrant from the Australian territory of Christmas Island. It is mainly a permanent resident throughout its range, but some northern populations migrate further south in winter.
This crake nests in a dry location on the ground in marsh vegetation, laying 6-9 eggs. The ruddy-breasted crake is about 22–23 cm long. The body is flattened laterally to allow easier passage through the reeds or undergrowth. It has long toes and a short tail. The back is pale brown, the head and underparts chestnut, and with white barring on the flanks and undertail. The bill is yellowish, and the eyes, legs, and feet are red.
The sexes are similar, but juveniles are dark brown with some white spotting. These birds probe in mud or shallow water and also pick up food by sight. They forage for shoots, berries and insects, as well as large snails, which they eat by using their bills to peck through the hard shell.
Ruddy-breasted crakes are territorial, but are quite secretive, hiding amongst grassy shrubs and bushes when disturbed. Wikipedia →
Recording0:12
Japan · 2026
© m_sato · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:09
Thailand · 2023
© Sam Hambly · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
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Japan · 2024
© takuyatamura · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 3 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 6 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 9 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 10 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 11 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Chattogram | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 3 | Nagoya | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Naha | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 6 | Ponnani | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Hong Kong | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Vijayawada | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Kozhikode | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenzhen Safari Park | 🇨🇳 China |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy-breasted Crake sighting in Kozhikode on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 126th most-seen of the 229 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy-breasted Crake in Kozhikode on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and June–December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ruddy-breasted Crake sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 33
Of the 33 cities where we can rate Ruddy-breasted Crake sightings, Kozhikode ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Vasai-Virar (India, about 10%), Chattogram (Bangladesh, about 10%) and Nagoya (Japan, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ruddy-breasted Crake is recorded against all the birds logged in Kozhikode (52 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
