The slaty-breasted rail is a rail species native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Breeding has been recorded in July near Dehradun in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. Despite traditionally being considered part of Gallirallus, recent genetic studies have consistently placed it in the genus Lewinia, which is now formally recognised by the IUCN and IOC.
Region
Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Found from the Indian Subcontinent through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, southern China, and into the Greater Sundas and the Philippines. It occupies freshwater and brackish marshes, wet grasslands, mangroves, rice fields, and vegetated edges of ponds and canals. The species favors dense cover of reeds, sedges, and other emergent plants, using muddy margins and shallow water to forage. It also occurs along forest edges adjacent to wetlands and in heavily modified agricultural landscapes. Local presence can be patchy, tracking suitable cover and water levels.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A secretive rail of lowland wetlands, it often slips through dense reeds and grasses rather than taking to the air. Breeding has been recorded in July near Dehradun in the Himalayan foothills. Formerly placed in Gallirallus, genetic studies now firmly position it in the genus Lewinia, a treatment adopted by the IUCN and IOC. It readily uses rice paddies and drainage ditches, which can bring it close to people yet still rarely seen.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; reluctant flier
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, keeping to dense cover. Nests are built low in thick vegetation near water, with a woven cup of grasses and reeds. Clutches are typically several eggs, and both parents participate in incubation and chick care. Activity increases at dawn and dusk when it forages more openly along muddy edges.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp kek-kek and grating squeals given from cover, often at twilight. It may deliver a series of accelerating clucks or rattles during territorial or breeding displays.
