Rails, Crakes & Coots
Water Rail
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Seen individually.
Fairly large rail with secretive behaviour. Distinguished by long red bill, brownish upperparts, slate grey underparts, and coarsely barred flanks. White and unmarked vent often visible due to frequently used posture with flirted tail. Long legs and toes visible in flight.
Diet
Water rails are omnivorous, although they mainly feed on animals. These include leeches, worms, gastropods, small crustaceans, spiders, and a wide range of both terrestrial and aquatic insects and their larvae. Small vertebrates such as amphibians, fish, birds and mammals may be killed or eaten as carrion.
Longevity record
8 years, 11 months (A bird found dead in the UK, DA 56290)
Usually seen in
October - February
Occasionally seen in
March - May, July - August
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Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
23 - 26
38 - 45
75 - 190
Corncrake
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Seen individually.
The adult male has the crown of its head and all of its upperparts brown-black in colour, streaked with buff or grey. The wing coverts are a distinctive chestnut colour with some white bars. The face, neck and breast are blue-grey, apart from a pale brown streak from the base of the bill to behind the eye, the belly is white, and the flanks, and undertail are barred with chestnut and white. The strong bill is flesh-coloured, the iris is pale brown, and the legs and feet are pale grey. Compared to the male, the female has warmer-toned upperparts and a narrower duller eye streak. Outside the breeding season, the upperparts of both sexes become darker and the underparts less grey. The juvenile is like the adult in appearance, but has a yellow tone to its upperparts, and the grey of the underparts is replaced with buff-brown. The chicks have black down, as with all rails.
Diet
The corn crake is omnivorous, but mainly feeds on invertebrates, including earthworms, slugs and snails, spiders, beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers and other insects.
Longevity record
-
Gallozz Aħmar
Crex crex
Gruiformes
Rallidae
Rare
Usually seen in
September - October, April
Occasionally seen in
March, May, November
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Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
22 - 25
42 - 53
129 - 210
Spotted Crake
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Seen individually or in pairs.
Small, secretive bird, usually only heard and not seen. Buff under tail-coverts and zigzag-patterned wings are diagnostic, and separates it from all other small rails in the region. Stocky build, with speckled underparts and short yellow bill with red spot at upper base. Spotted chest and neck.
Diet
Mainly insects and aquatic animals.
Longevity record
-
Usually seen in
April - May, September - November
Occasionally seen in
February - March, August
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Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
19 - 22
37 - 42
57 - 147
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Little Crake
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Seen individually.
The adult male has the crown of its head and all of its upperparts brown-black in colour, streaked with buff or grey. The wing coverts are a distinctive chestnut colour with some white bars. The face, neck and breast are blue-grey, apart from a pale brown streak from the base of the bill to behind the eye, the belly is white, and the flanks, and undertail are barred with chestnut and white. The strong bill is flesh-coloured, the iris is pale brown, and the legs and feet are pale grey. Compared to the male, the female has warmer-toned upperparts and a narrower duller eye streak. Outside the breeding season, the upperparts of both sexes become darker and the underparts less grey. The juvenile is like the adult in appearance, but has a yellow tone to its upperparts, and the grey of the underparts is replaced with buff-brown. The chicks have black down, as with all rails.
Diet
The corn crake is omnivorous, but mainly feeds on invertebrates, including earthworms, slugs and snails, spiders, beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers and other insects.
Longevity record
-
Usually seen in
April - May, September - October
Occasionally seen in
February - March, June, August
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Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
17 - 19
34 - 39
35 - 60
Baillon's Crake
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Seen individually.
Most likely to be confused with Little Crake. Most important field characters is the very short primary projection and lack of red base of bill. Some caution should be taken as missing or unorderly tertials can be confusing with regards to the projection, and immature Little Crake may sometimes also lack red base of bill. Flanks and belly more extensively barred than L. Crake. Upperparts richer brown with white spots. Sexes alike, but females often with paler throat. Brown cheeks occurs in both sexes. Legs dirty olive colour and bill greenish. Immature even more easily confused with L. Crake, but apart from the missing projection, note warmer brown upperparts and more heavily barred underparts, even on breast. Crown less evenly coloured than L. Crake, with blackish speckles.
Baillon's crakes are very secretive in the breeding season, and are then mostly heard rather than seen. They are then noisy birds, with a rattling call like that of the edible frog, or perhaps garganey.
Diet
They mainly eat insects and aquatic animals.
Longevity record
-
Usually seen in
April
Occasionally seen in
March, May, October - November
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Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
16 - 18
30 - 41
30 - 55
Allen's Gallinule
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Seen individually but can be seen in small groups.
They are similar in size to the only slightly larger water rail. The Allen's gallinule has a short red bill, greenish back and purple upperparts. They have red legs with long toes, and a short tail which is white with a dark central bar underneath. Breeding males have a blue frontal shield, which is green in the female. Immature Allen's gallinules are sandy brown with a buff undertail. The downy chicks are black, as with all rails.
Allen's gallinules are very secretive in the breeding season, particularly in the dense swamps they favour, and are mostly heard rather than seen. They are then rather noisy birds, with a sharp nasal pruk call. They can be easier to see on migration or when wintering.
Diet
Omnivorous. Eats a wide variety of plant and animal matter, including seeds, fruits, and leaves of aquatic and terrestrial plants, also insects, frogs, snails, spiders, worms, fish. At times, eats the eggs and young of other birds.
Longevity record
-
Usually seen in
December - January
Occasionally seen in
February - March, October
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Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
20 - 26
48 - 52
120 - 160
Common Moorhen
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Seen individually or in small groups.
Adults easily recognized by red frontal shield and red base of yellow bill. Both adults and juveniles show bold white/pale lateral stripe. Appears totally black at distance, but can be told apart from Coot by more slender build. Tail usually flirted, showing diagnostic white under tail-coverts. This also shows in juveniles, which are further distinguished by darker bill and neck than Coot.
Diet
The Common Moorhen is omnivorous and opportunistic with a diet that consists of earthworms, crustaceans, molluscs, adult and larval insects (especially flies, mayflies, bugs, beetles, and butterflies), spiders, small fish, tadpoles, and occasionally birds eggs, algae, moss, aquatic plants, seeds, flowers, berries, and fruit.
Longevity record
18 years 7 months (Found dead in Denmark, 403675)
Usually seen in
September - December
Occasionally seen in
all other months for resident birds
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Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
27 - 31
50 - 55
190 - 490
Eurasian Coot
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Seen individually or in pairs.
Largely unmistakable. All black, with white frontal shield and pale bill. Very stocky build. Lacks the white lateral stripe and white under tail-coverts of Moorhen. White trailing edge of wings visible in flight. Juveniles paler and more grey than adults, often with whitish front and neck. Under tail-coverts are dark, unlike juvenile Moorhen.
Diet
The coot is an omnivore, and will take a variety of small live prey including the eggs of other water birds, as well as algae, vegetation, seeds and fruit. It shows considerable variation in its feeding techniques, grazing on land or in the water.
Longevity record
20 years 7 months (A shot bird in Denmark, 316250)
Usually seen in
September - March
Occasionally seen in
April, all other months for resident birds
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Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
36 - 42
70 - 80
600 - 1200
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*Some information was sourced from ''BirdID Nord University''.