Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer) | Photos and ID

LCLeast ConcernFish

WetlandPlatform nestSmall · 25 g

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 1 — Photo: (c) Mariano Cosentino, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 2 — Photo: (c) Ezequiel Racker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 3 — Photo: (c) Nicolas Olejnik, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 4 — Photo: (c) Joaquin Valentinuzzi, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 5 — Photo: (c) RAP, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 6 — Photo: no rights reserved · CC0

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 7 — Photo: no rights reserved · CC0

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 8 — Photo: (c) Daniel S. Katz, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 9 — Photo: no rights reserved · CC0

Yellow-breasted Crake (Laterallus flaviventer), photo 10 — Photo: no rights reserved · CC0

ID tip

The yellow-breasted crake is 12.5 to 14 cm (4.9 to 5.5 in) long. Males weigh 22 to 29 g (0.78 to 1.0 oz) and females 20 to 28 g (0.71 to 0.99 oz). The sexes are alike. Their generally buffy face has a dark line through the eye and a pale buff-white supercilium, a pattern unique among New World members of Rallidae. Adults of the nominate subspecies L. f. flaviventer have brown upperparts and a white throat, buffy yellow breast, and black and white banded flanks and belly. The other subspecies differ from the nominate in size and the intensity of their colors. The nominate and L. f. Voice: The yellow-breasted crake has at least three vocalizations, a "ow, harsh, rolled or churring 'k'kuk kurr-kurr'", a "plaintive, squealing, single or repeated 'kreer' or 'krreh'", and a "high-pitched, whistled 'peep'."

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Yellow-breasted Crake

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 11 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Yellow-breasted Crake

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 22 countries with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Guyana, Suriname.

About the Yellow-breasted Crake

The yellow-breasted crake is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found on several Caribbean islands and in most of Central America and South America.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Black RailLaterallus jamaicensisThe black rail is a small black bird with a short bill.

Dot-winged CrakeLaterallus spilopteraThe dot-winged crake is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long. Rusty-flanked CrakeLaterallus levraudiThe rusty-flanked crake is 14 to 16.5 cm (5.5 to 6.5 in) long.

Side by side: Grey-breasted Crake vs Yellow-breasted Crake

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