Rusty-flanked Crake

About the Rusty-flanked Crake

The rusty-flanked crake (Laterallus levraudi) is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is endemic to Venezuela. The rusty-flanked crake is monotypic. Some authors treat it and the rufous-sided crake (Laterallus melanophaius) as a superspecies.

The rusty-flanked crake is 14 to 16.5 cm (5.5 to 6.5 in) long. The sexes are alike. They have dark olive brown upperparts and red flanks. Their underparts are red except for a white throat and center of the breast. The rusty-flanked crake is found only in Venezuela north of the Orinoco River, mostly coastally and somewhat inland along the western flank of the Andes. It inhabits a variety of wet lowland landscapes including swamps, marshes, lagoons, lakeshores, and flooded pastures. In elevation it ranges from about 20 to 600 m (66 to 2,000 ft).

The rusty-flanked crake is not known to migrate. The rusty-flanked crake's foraging technique and diet have not been documented but are assumed to be similar to those of congeners. They usually forage on the ground... Wikipedia →