The brown-cheeked rail or eastern water rail is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It breeds in northern Mongolia, eastern Siberia, northeast China, Korea and northern Japan, and winters in southeast Asia. It used to be considered a subspecies of the water rail.
Region
East Asia and Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Breeds in northern Mongolia, eastern Siberia (Russian Far East), northeast China, Korea, and northern Japan, favoring dense emergent vegetation around freshwater and brackish wetlands. In winter it migrates to southeastern China, the Korean Peninsula’s south, Taiwan, coastal Japan, and mainland Southeast Asia. It occupies reedbeds, sedge marshes, wet meadows, river floodplains, and the vegetated margins of lakes and ponds. During nonbreeding it readily uses rice paddies, ditches, mangroves, and marshy coastal flats. It is highly secretive, keeping close to cover and running rather than flying when disturbed.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The brown-cheeked rail, also called the eastern water rail, is a shy rail that slips through dense reedbeds thanks to its laterally compressed body. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the water rail but is now recognized as a distinct species with warmer brown cheeks and a slightly different voice. Its calls include striking pig-like squeals and grunts, most often heard at dawn, dusk, or at night. It often uses rice paddies and marsh edges in winter, making it easier to see than in the breeding season.
At Chittagong, Bangladesh
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct; reluctant flier
Social Behavior
Typically solitary or in pairs during the breeding season, holding territories in dense marsh vegetation. Nests are shallow platforms hidden in reeds or sedges, usually just above water. Both parents incubate and tend the brood, with downy chicks leaving the nest soon after hatching. In winter, may occur loosely with other rails or in small groups where habitat is concentrated.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Often gives loud, pig-like squeals and grating screams, along with series of grunts and ticking notes from deep cover. Vocal activity peaks at dawn and dusk and can continue at night, making the species easier to detect by ear than by sight.
