"Landrail" redirects here. For ships with that name, see HMS Landrail."Crex" redirects here. For the railroad company, see Citicorp Railmark Inc. (Citirail).
Corn crake
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Gruiformes
Family:
Rallidae
Genus:
Crex Bechstein, 1803
Species:
C. crex
Binomial name
Crex crex
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Range of C. crex
Breeding
Passage
Non-breeding
Extant & Reintroduced (breeding)
Synonyms[2]
Rallus crexLinnaeus, 1758
Crex pratensisBechstein, 1803
The corn crake, corncrake or landrail (Crex crex) is a bird in the rail family. It breeds in Europe and Asia as far east as western China, and migrates to Africa for the Northern Hemisphere's winter. It is a medium-sized crake with buff- or grey-streaked brownish-black upperparts, chestnut markings on the wings, and blue-grey underparts with rust-coloured and white bars on the flanks and undertail. The strong bill is flesh-toned, the iris is pale brown, and the legs and feet are pale grey. Juveniles are similar in plumage to adults, and downy chicks are black, as with all rails. There are no subspecies, although individuals from the east of the breeding range tend to be slightly paler than their western counterparts. The male's call is a loud krek krek, from which the scientific name is derived. The corn crake is larger than its closest relative, the African crake, which shares its wintering range; that species is also darker-plumaged, and has a plainer face.
The corn crake's breeding habitat is grassland, particularly hayfields, and it uses similar environments on the wintering grounds. This secretive species builds a nest of grass leaves in a hollow in the ground and lays 6–14 cream-coloured eggs which are covered with rufous blotches. These hatch in 19–20 days, and the black precocial chicks fledge after about five weeks. This crake is in steep decline across much of its former breeding range because modern farming practices often destroy nests before breeding is completed. The corn crake is omnivorous but mainly feeds on invertebrates, the occasional small frog or mammal, and plant material including grass seed and cereal grain. Threats include dogs, cats, other introduced and feral mammals, large birds, various parasites and diseases.
Although numbers have declined steeply in western Europe, this bird is classed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its huge range and large, apparently stable, populations in Russia and Kazakhstan.[1] Numbers in western China are more significant than previously thought, and conservation measures have facilitated an increased population in some countries which had suffered the greatest losses. Despite its elusive nature, the loud call has ensured the corn crake has been noted in literature, and garnered a range of local and dialect names.
^ abBirdLife International (2016). "Crex crex". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22692543A86147127. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22692543A86147127.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^Cite error: The named reference Stone1894 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
The corncrake, corncrake or landrail (Crex crex) is a bird in the rail family. It breeds in Europe and Asia as far east as western China, and migrates...
the eye. It is smaller than the corncrake, which is also lighter-plumaged, and has an eye stripe. The African crake has a range of calls, the most characteristic...
and other plants such as the yellow rattle. Bird species including the corncrake, twite, dunlin, common redshank and ringed plover, as well as rare insects...
to steal corn or corn liquor; that "Jim Crack" is simply a synonym for "Jim Crow" by means of the dialectical "crack" to reference the crake; or that...
northern gannets, and roseate terns. Other notable breeding birds include corncrakes and red-billed choughs. There are no endemic species but there are endemic...
have been observed), Greater spotted eagle (Aquila clanga) (4–6 pairs), Corncrake (Crex crex), Great snipe (Gallinago media). The presence of so many birds...
size of the mother compared to other rails, and resemble the eggs of the corncrake. The incubation period for the species is not known, but both sexes incubate...
There are 143 species worldwide. Spotted crake (Porzana porzana) Little crake (Porzana parva) Corncrake (Crex crex) Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) Coot...
Black grouse, Rock ptarmigan, Rock partridge, Hoopoe, Corvidae, Tit, Corncrake, Black redstart, White-winged snowfinch, Northern wheatear). Reptiles...
The avian family Rallidae comprise the rails, crakes, and coots. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognizes these 152 species distributed...
boreal owl, white-backed woodpecker, semicollared flycatcher and the corncrake. The park's herpetofauna includes 15 reptile and nine amphibian species...
otter Red squirrel Harvest mouse Hazel dormouse Greater horseshoe bat Corncrake The barbastelle, as a vulnerable species on the Red List, is in greater...
different bird species, many ground-dwelling such as the common quail, corncrake, woodlark, and crested lark. Scavenging birds such as corvids and eagles...
tentaculata Planorbarius corneus The definitive host lives in the oviducts of corncrake Crex crex. "Prosthogonimus ovatus", as Bithynia leachei (sic!), accessed...
Knot, Sanderling, and Dunlin. Fallmore also supports a population of Corncrake (5 pairs as of 2005/6). Blacksod Bay List of Saints of Ireland "An Fál...
(SAC) Special Area of Conservation and (SPA) Special Protection Area. The corncrake, which is rare and is protected nationally, is seen in the Callows area...
lesser kestrel and the great bustard. Rare visiting species include the corncrake, Dalmatian pelican, white-headed duck and eastern imperial eagle. Philip's...
Global Information
