The rufous-sided crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile.
Region
South America
Typical Environment
Occupies freshwater and brackish marshes, wet meadows, and edges of ponds, streams, and oxbow lakes with dense emergent vegetation. It readily uses secondary habitats such as rice paddies and ditches where cover is abundant. Most populations are in lowlands, but it can occur in foothills where suitable wetlands persist. It is widespread from Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas south through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and much of Argentina.
Altitude Range
0–2000 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A shy, ground-dwelling rail that keeps to dense marsh vegetation and is more often heard than seen. It occurs across most of mainland South America except Chile and often uses rice fields and seasonally flooded grasslands. Though generally common, it depends on healthy wetlands and can be affected by drainage and habitat conversion.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, reluctant to fly
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs, remaining hidden in dense sedges and grasses. Likely monogamous, nesting in concealed cups or domed structures above water or damp ground. Adults lead chicks through cover shortly after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives sharp, repetitive whistles and ticking notes, often at dawn and dusk. Calls can accelerate into short trills, carrying well over marshes and used for territory advertisement and contact.
Plumage
Upperparts warm brown with darker mottling; head and breast gray; flanks rich rufous; belly and vent with fine black-and-white barring. Tail very short; plumage appears sleek and compact in dense cover.
Diet
Takes small insects, spiders, snails, and other invertebrates, along with seeds and tender plant material. Forages by picking from the ground, mud, and low vegetation and occasionally probes soft substrates. May glean along the edges of shallow water and among floating vegetation.
Preferred Environment
Feeds within dense emergent vegetation along marsh margins, ditches, and rice fields. Often stays under cover, moving along runways beneath grasses and sedges and venturing to exposed edges briefly.
