The African rail, sometimes also Kaffir rail, is a small wetland bird of the rail family that is found in eastern and southern Africa.
Region
Eastern and Southern Africa
Typical Environment
Found from Kenya and Tanzania south through Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, and into South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. It inhabits freshwater marshes, reedbeds, papyrus swamps, and sedge-choked floodplains. The species favors shallow water with muddy margins and dense emergent cover. It also uses vegetated river edges and seasonal pans created by rains.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The African rail is a secretive wetland bird that slips through dense reeds with surprising speed, rarely flying unless pressed. Its slaty-blue underparts and boldly barred flanks help distinguish it from similar rails. Pairs often call back and forth from cover, revealing their presence in otherwise quiet marshes.
Watercolour made by Georg Forster on James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific Ocean. This picture is the holotype for the species.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes with dependent young forming small family groups. Nests are well-concealed platforms of reeds or sedges, placed above water. Both sexes likely share incubation and chick-rearing; downy chicks are black and highly mobile soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are a mix of grunts, squeals, and sharp clicks, often delivered from deep cover. Duetting pairs exchange rapid, pig-like squeals and ticking notes, especially at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Upperparts warm brown with darker streaking; underparts slaty-blue, with bold black-and-white barring on the flanks and undertail. Feathers are sleek and compact, aiding movement through dense vegetation.
Diet
Eats aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates such as insects, larvae, spiders, snails, and worms. Also takes small amphibians and occasional tiny fish. Seeds and other plant matter are consumed opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Forages along muddy margins, within reedbeds, and among floating vegetation where cover is dense. Probes and picks with its long bill, often moving in quick bursts between clumps of vegetation.
