Bird Album
Brown Crake
Zapornia akool (Sykes, 1832)
≈25 cmLength131 gWeight
It is a rail that inhabits wetlands such as lakes and marshes.
Busiest months: January · Most records: India, China, Nepal
How to identify
Where and when it's recorded
Brown Crake has been recorded at 254 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 6 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Byatarayana Doddi KereIndia496 records
- Vetal Tekdi/HillIndia397 records
- Chitwan National ParkNepal217 records
More places
- Timbi LakeIndia203 records
- Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia173 records
- Ranthambore NPIndia166 records
- Ujani Dam – Kumbhargaon Bird SanctuaryIndia129 records
- Okhla Bird SanctuaryIndia129 records
- Chitwan National Park - SaurahaNepal122 records
- Corbett NP – DhikalaIndia112 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The brown crake (Zapornia akool), or brown bush-hen, is a waterbird in the rail and crake family (Rallidae) found in South Asia. The species name, akool, is of uncertain origin. It may come from Hindu mythology, or it may be a derivation of the Sinhalese word kukkula, which is used for both moorhen and watercock.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Brown Crake?
The Brown Crake is about ≈25 cm long and weighs around 131 g.
Where does the Brown Crake live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: India to southeastern China. It is most often recorded in India, China and Nepal.
When is the best time to see the Brown Crake?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Brown Crake endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown Crake as Least Concern.
What does the Brown Crake eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Brown Crake in?
It belongs to the family Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae), order Gruiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈25 cm
- Weight
- 131 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 119 mm
- Tail
- 54 mm
- Bill
- 32 mm
- Tarsus
- 48 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: India to southeastern China
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Zapornia akool coccineipes se China to ne Vietnam
Classification
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rails, Crakes & Coots Rallidae
- Genus
- Zapornia
Other birds in the genus Zapornia
Black CrakeZapornia flavirostra
Sakalava RailZapornia olivieri
Ruddy-breasted CrakeZapornia fusca
Band-bellied CrakeZapornia paykullii
Black-tailed CrakeZapornia bicolor
Baillon's CrakeZapornia pusilla
Little CrakeZapornia parva
Spotless CrakeZapornia tabuensis
Henderson CrakeZapornia atra
Grey-throated RailCanirallus oculeus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Tisha Mukherjee. ↗
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