The russet-crowned crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin and northern South America
Typical Environment
Found from the Guianas and Venezuela through Colombia and Ecuador south into Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. It favors dense understory in humid lowland forests, secondary growth, bamboo thickets, and tangled vegetation along streams and marshy edges. The species also uses overgrown clearings and gallery forests within savanna mosaics. It remains close to ground-level cover and is rarely seen in open areas.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A shy, ground-dwelling rail, the russet-crowned crake slips through dense understory and often remains unseen, betraying its presence by a rapid series of accelerating whistles. It inhabits thickets along forest edges, overgrown clearings, and riparian tangles across much of northern and central South America. Pairs or small family groups keep close to cover and prefer to run rather than fly when disturbed.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; prefers to run through cover
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes with dependent juveniles. Likely monogamous, nesting low or on the ground in dense cover with both sexes tending young. Territorial calls are often given at dawn and dusk.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A fast, accelerating series of sharp whistles or tik notes, often delivered as a duet by pairs. Calls carry through thickets and are the best way to detect the species.
