The red-necked crake is a waterbird in the rail and crake family, Rallidae.
Region
New Guinea and northern Australia
Typical Environment
It inhabits lowland rainforest, swamp forest, and monsoon forest with dense ground cover, especially near streams and marshy margins. It favors tangled vegetation such as pandanus thickets, vine tangles, and reedbeds. The species forages on damp leaf litter and mud along shaded creeks and forest pools. It occasionally uses overgrown edges of plantations or clearings if cover is retained.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The red-necked crake is a secretive rail that keeps to dense, wet understory and is often heard more than seen. When flushed, it bursts into a short, explosive flight before diving back into cover. Pairs frequently call in duet at dusk and dawn. Chicks, like many rails, are precocial and covered in black down.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; prefers to run through cover
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family groups. Nests are placed low and hidden in dense vegetation near water. Both sexes are believed to share incubation and chick-rearing duties. Territorial calls are common at dawn and dusk, especially during breeding.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls include sharp squeals, croaks, and repeated grunting notes, often given as antiphonal duets. Vocalizations carry well through dense forest and are used to maintain contact and advertise territory.
Plumage
Rich rufous head and neck with dark chocolate-brown upperparts; underparts brownish with finely barred black-and-white flanks. Feathers appear smooth and sleek, aiding a compact, rounded profile. Tail is short and often held down, with subtle barring toward the rear.
Diet
Primarily feeds on invertebrates such as insects (beetles, ants, termites), spiders, worms, and small snails. It will also take small amphibians on occasion and may consume some seeds or fallen fruit opportunistically. Foraging involves probing and flicking aside leaf litter and gleaning along muddy edges.
Preferred Environment
Forages on damp leaf litter along shaded streams, swampy forest floors, and densely vegetated creek margins. It stays close to cover and often works along the edges of thickets and pandanus clumps.
