Laterallus ruber
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The ruddy crake (Laterallus ruber) is a bird in the rail family, Rallidae. Other names the ruddy crake is known by are "red rail", "ruddy rail" and "red crake". The ruddy crake can be identified by its ruddy plumage that can vary in shade and gray head with dark brown wings and tail. It is mostly bright chestnut in colour with a paler chin and belly, blackish crown and dark grey ear-coverts. Ruddy crakes are about the size of a sparrow. It is a small crake, 14–16.5 cm in length. Immature ruddy crakes tend to show discoloration on their midline or nape, such as a pale midline or chestnut colored nape. The bill is black, the iris is red and the legs and feet are olive-green. This distinct characteristic of yellow green legs, differentiating it from other small birds. The ruddy crake has a short black conical bill, and it has wide spread feet specifically adapted for wet habitats. Female ruddy crakes are more drab than males, and the males have rusty red plumage on the breast.
The ruddy crake, similar to others in the Rallidae family, prefers wet pastures and marshes, especially the tall grasses. The ruddy crake populates the lowlands of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 4 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 7 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 8 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Crake sighting in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 96 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 166th most-seen of the 288 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June, August and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Crake in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in July, September and December–April, the lowest months. Those are among Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain a month against 30 mm in March.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ruddy 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.
5th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Ruddy Crake sightings, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 20%), Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park (Honduras, about 10%) and Biotopo Cerro Cahuí (Guatemala, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ruddy Crake is recorded against all the birds logged in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (96 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.
