Porzana fluminea
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The Australian crake (Porzana fluminea), also known as Australian spotted crake, or spotted crake is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is the only species of Australian crake in the genus Porzana. The Australian crake was formally described in 1843 by the English ornithologist John Gould and given the binomial name Porzana fluminea. He specified the type locality as New South Wales. The specific epithet is from Latin flumineus meaning "riverine" (from flumen meaning "river"). The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The Australian crake measures 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) in length, weighs 55–70 g (1.9–2.5 oz) and has a wingspan of 27–33 cm (11–13 in). It is similar in appearance and behaviour to Baillon's crake (Porzana pusilla), but the Australian crake is stockier and darker overall and lacks the distinctive barred undertail of the Baillon's crake (Porzana pusilla). The Australian crake has a sooty face with steel-blue/dark grey breast, belly and throat. Brown upperparts, including the crown, are streaked black and white, with barred black and white flanks. Shorter undertail coverts are black and longer undertail coverts are white... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Crake sighting in Perth on a given day, based on 183 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 95th most-seen of the 162 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December and January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Crake in Perth on a given day, against under 5% in February to November, the lowest months. Those are among Perth's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 130 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Australian Crake sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Australian Crake sightings, Perth ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Melbourne (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Australian Crake is recorded against all the birds logged in Perth (183 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.
