Porzana parva
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) and HuttyMcphoo (photography) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The little crake (Zapornia parva) is a very small waterbird of the family Rallidae. parva is Latin for "small". This species was long included in the genus Porzana. Its breeding habitat is reed beds in Europe, mainly in the east, and just into western Asia. This species is migratory, wintering in Africa.
At 17–19 cm (6.7–7.5 in) in length, they are slightly smaller than the spotted crake, from which they are readily distinguished by the lack of dark barring and white spots on the flanks. The little crake has a short straight bill, yellow with a red base. They have green legs with long toes, and a short tail which is barred black and white underneath. Unlike other Zapornia crakes, this species has strong sexual dimorphism: Adult males have mainly brown upperparts and blue-grey face and underparts. They resemble the sympatric Baillon's crake (Z. pusilla), which has strongly barred flanks and is a little smaller. Females have buff underparts, and are grey only on the face; they are more similar to the yellow-breasted crake (Z. flaviventer) of the American tropics. Immature little crakes are similar to the female but have a white face and breast. The downy chicks are black, as with all rails.
These birds probe with their bill in mud or shallow water, also picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and aquatic animals. Little crakes are very secretive in the breeding season, and are then mostly heard rather than seen. They can be easier to see on migration. They are then noisy birds, with a yapping kua call. They nest in a dry location in reed vegetation, laying 4–7 eggs.
The little crake is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Wikipedia →
Recording0:20
Russia · 2023
© vyatka · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Recording0:49
Germany · 2020
© Thorsten Hackbarth · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Recording0:16
Austria · 2024
© Benjámin Gábor Balog · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Crake sighting in Hortobágy National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 178th most-seen of the 202 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Crake in Hortobágy National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little 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.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Little Crake sightings, Hortobágy National Park has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, under 5%) and Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Crake is recorded against all the birds logged in Hortobágy National Park (12 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.
