Red-and-white crake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red-and-white crake |
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| At Intervales State Park, São Paulo state, Brazil | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Laterallus |
| Species: |
L. leucopyrrhus
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| Binomial name | |
| Laterallus leucopyrrhus (Vieillot, 1819)
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The red-and-white crake is a small, colorful bird that belongs to the rail family. You can find this bird in parts of South America, including Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Contents
About the Red-and-white Crake
The red-and-white crake is a unique bird. It is the only species in its group, meaning there are no other very close relatives that look different enough to be their own species.
What Does It Look Like?
The red-and-white crake is about 14 to 17 centimeters (about 5.5 to 6.7 inches) long. It weighs around 34 to 52 grams (about 1.2 to 1.8 ounces). Both male and female crakes look the same.
Their head, neck, and back are a bright chestnut color. This bright color sharply meets their white throat and chest. The rest of their upper body is a dark olive brown. Their sides have cool black and white stripes.
Underneath their tail, their feathers are black in the middle with white edges. Their legs are a bright coral red or salmon-pink. Their bill is black, but it has a yellow base and a light green or blue tip.
Where Does It Live?
You can find the red-and-white crake in southeastern Brazil. From there, its home stretches south through eastern Paraguay and most of Uruguay. It also lives in northeastern Argentina, reaching as far as northern Buenos Aires Province.
This bird likes to live in wet places. These areas usually have shallow water or moist soil. They also have tall grasses, reeds, or thick bushes. Sometimes, you might see small trees scattered around too.
How It Behaves
Daily Life and Movement
The red-and-white crake seems to stay in the same area all year long. It does not usually migrate to other places.
What It Eats
This crake usually looks for food by itself. It walks on the ground or climbs through plants. Its diet is mostly small bugs and worms. It also eats seeds.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
In Argentina, the red-and-white crake's breeding season is from October to February. We do not know much about its breeding time in other places. Both the male and female birds work together to build the nest.
Their nest is shaped like a ball. They make it from grass, herbs, and reeds. They attach it to marsh plants, sometimes up to 1 meter (about 3 feet) above the ground. The nest has an entrance on the side.
A female crake usually lays three eggs. In places where crakes are kept and studied, the eggs hatch in about 24 days. The young birds can take care of themselves in about four weeks.
Sounds It Makes
The red-and-white crake's song is a long, deep chattering sound. Some people describe it as a loud trill. Sometimes, two crakes will sing together. When they are alarmed, they make a low cui whistle. They also have a harsh chrrrrrr... call, which might be used when they feel aggressive.
Is It Endangered?
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says the red-and-white crake is a species of "Least Concern." This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing. It lives across a fairly large area. However, we do not know how many of these birds there are or if their numbers are changing.
There are no immediate big threats to the crake. But, places where they live are being changed by city growth, filling in wet lands, and farm animals eating their plants. These changes can affect their homes.
 | Roy Wilkins |
 | John Lewis |
 | Linda Carol Brown |
