Bird Guide

Black Crake vs Spotless Crake

Black Crake (Zapornia flavirostra)

Black Crake

Zapornia flavirostra

Medium86 gWetland

The adult black crake is 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) long with a short tail and long toes. As its name implies, the adult has mainly black plumage, with a brown olive tone on the wings and upperparts which is rarely detectable in the field. The eye is red, the bill is yellow (hence the flavirostra of the binomial name), and the legs and feet are red, duller when not breeding. The sexes are similar, but the male is slightly larger. Most males, but only 10% of females, have a hooked upper mandible. The immature bird has brown upperparts and a dark grey head and underparts.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Black Crake
Recorded by Kileo Jumah · Song · Kisangara, Mwanga, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania · CC0
Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0
Spotless Crake (Zapornia tabuensis)

Spotless Crake

Zapornia tabuensis

Small42 gWetland

As an adult the spotless crake can reach a length of 17 – 20 cm; a wingspan of 26 – 29 cm; and can weigh between 40 – 50g. The head, and neck of the spotless crake is a bluish–grey slate colour. Some also have an occasional light grey or whitish patch on the chin, which can extend down the throat. The back, the outer wings, and inner wings have a dark reddish–brown which then fades into a dark blackish – brown on the tail feathers. The underside of the spotless crake is also a bluish–grey which then transitions to a blackish–grey on the underside of the tail feathers.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Spotless Crake
Recorded by Rob · Begging call · Minnippi Parkland (near Tingalpa), Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia · CC BY 4.0
Photo: Frankzed from Melbourne, Australia · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black Crake and Spotless Crake.