Band-bellied Crake
Zapornia paykullii
Skulky and difficult to see, this medium-sized crake is often detected through its unique song, a hollow hoot-knocking that can be likened to a wood rattle or rapidfire tapping on a tiny high-pitched drum. Favors extremely well-vegetated marsh margins, often in areas with bushes and short trees, and sometimes near cultivation. If seen well, note dull gray-brown back, orange face, throat, and chest, and black-and-white striped sides. Ruddy-breasted Crake can be very similar, but note Band-bellied’s grayer back, duller red legs, more extensive white barring on the sides, and white-striped coverts (not always visible).
Identification
The band-bellied crake (Zapornia paykullii) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It breeds in Manchuria, eastern China and northern Korea; it winters throughout Southeast Asia. It is getting rare due to habitat loss. In 1813 the Swedish taxon author Sven Ingemar Ljungh named the bird after the naturalist Gustaf von Paykull.
Taxonomy
Genus: Zapornia; Family: Rallidae; Order: Gruiformes.
- Scientific name
- Zapornia paykullii
- Authority
- (Ljungh, 1813)
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Zapornia
Range and habitat
Breeding range: PAL : e Siberia, Korea and ne China. Non-breeding range: to se Asia and Greater Sundas.
- Breeding range
- PAL : e Siberia, Korea and ne China
- Non-breeding range
- to se Asia and Greater Sundas
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow-breasted Tailorbird
Orthotomus samarensis
A small, long-billed, long-tailed bird of dense undergrowth in lowland forest on Bohol, Leyte, and Samar islands. Olive-green on the back and wings, with an orange-brown tail often held cocked, yellow underparts, a thin yellow line around the back of the neck, and a black cap. Female has a white throat with some streaking around the edge, while the male has a black bib and a small white chin. Similar in size and shape to Rufous-fronted Tailorbird, but has yellow underparts and a black head. Voice includes monotonous piping notes given in series.
White-throated Foliage-gleaner
Syndactyla roraimae
Small, rufous-brown bird of tepui highlands. Key mark is striking white throat contrasting sharply with unmarked brown underparts. Also note rufous tail and thin white line extending rearward from eye. Found only at higher elevations (above 1000 m) in humid forests of tepui region, where it is not particularly common and is usually seen with mixed-species flocks. Creeps over mossy branches, probes into epiphytes, and investigates dead leaves for insect prey. Distinctive vocalizations have a toneless, dry quality and are quite unlike any other species in range; call is a single hard note, sometimes doubled, whereas song is an accelerating dry rattle. At first glance could be mistaken for Roraiman Barbtail, which also has bright white throat; however, White-throated Foliage-gleaner is much larger and plainer.
Hooded Pitohui
Pitohui dichrous
A medium-sized bird of foothill and lower montane forest and edge. Tawny colored body with black head, chest, wing and tail. Remeniscent of Orchard Oriole. Almost identical to some races of Southern and Northern Variable Pitohui but Hooded is usually found at higher altitude. Hooded is best told by voice which is usually lower. Voice, a complex array of low, oriolelike warbles, wolf-whistles and clicks. Some vocalizations sound like “pi-to-hui”.
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