Crex crex
Silhouette: Michael Day · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The corn crake, corncrake or landrail (Crex crex) is a bird in the rail family. It breeds in Europe and Asia as far east as western China, and migrates to Africa for the Northern Hemisphere's winter. It is a medium-sized crake with buff- or grey-streaked brownish-black upperparts, chestnut markings on the wings, and blue-grey underparts with rust-coloured and white bars on the flanks and undertail. The strong bill is flesh-toned, the iris is pale brown, and the legs and feet are pale grey. Juveniles are similar in plumage to adults, and downy chicks are black, as with all rails. There are no subspecies, although individuals from the east of the breeding range tend to be slightly paler than their western counterparts. The male's call is a loud krek krek, from which the scientific name is derived. The corn crake is larger than its closest relative, the African crake, which shares its wintering range; that species is also darker-plumaged, and has a plainer face.
The corn crake's breeding habitat is grassland, particularly hayfields, and it uses similar environments on the wintering grounds. This secretive species builds a nest of grass leaves in a hollow in the ground and lays 6–14 cream-coloured eggs which are covered with rufous blotches. These hatch in 19–20 days, and the black precocial chicks fledge after about five weeks. This crake is in steep decline across much of its former breeding range because modern farming practices often destroy nests before breeding is completed. The corn crake is omnivorous but mainly feeds on invertebrates, the occasional small frog or mammal, and plant material including grass seed and cereal grain. Threats include dogs, cats, other introduced and feral mammals, large birds, various parasites and diseases.
Although numbers have declined steeply in western Europe, this bird is classed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its huge range and large, apparently stable, populations in Russia and Kazakhstan. Numbers in western China are more significant than previously thought, and conservation measures have facilitated an increased population in some countries which had suffered the greatest losses. Despite its elusive nature, the loud call has ensured the corn crake has been noted in literature, and garnered a range of local and dialect names. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 5 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 7 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yekaterinburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Minsk | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 4 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Tel Aviv | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 6 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 8 | Jerusalem | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 9 | Istanbul | 🇹🇷 Turkey |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Corn Crake sighting in Gauja National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 114th most-seen of the 124 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Corn Crake in Gauja National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Corn Crake sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
6th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Corn Crake sightings, Gauja National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 20%), Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 20%) and Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Corn Crake is recorded against all the birds logged in Gauja National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
