The white-spotted flufftail is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae. It has a widespread range of presence across the African tropical rainforest.
Region
West and Central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs widely through lowland tropical rainforest from Sierra Leone and Liberia east through Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and the Congo Basin to western Uganda and northwestern Angola. Prefers dense understory in primary and secondary forests, gallery forests, and swampy thickets. Often found along shaded streams, raffia palm swamps, and forest edges with heavy leaf litter. Avoids open habitats and relies on thick cover for foraging and nesting.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
White-spotted flufftails are elusive, ground-dwelling rails of African rainforests, far more often heard than seen. Males and females often perform antiphonal duets, especially at dawn and dusk, which helps pairs stay in contact in dense cover. Their tiny, fluff-like tail is frequently held upright as they skulk through tangles and along shaded streams.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, keeping to dense understory where they walk or run rather than fly. Pairs maintain small territories and often duet. Nests are placed low in dense vegetation near water; clutch is small and breeding often coincides with rainy periods.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
The male gives a series of resonant hoots and piping notes, often in even tempo that carries through forest. Females respond with shorter, softer notes, creating a distinctive duet most frequent at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Male is mostly blackish with numerous neat white spots on the upperparts and wings, and rich chestnut on the underparts; tail is very short and often cocked. Female is rufous-brown with darker barring and less distinct spotting, giving a mottled appearance suited to leaf-litter camouflage.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small invertebrates such as ants, termites, beetles, spiders, worms, and small snails. It gleans and probes among leaf litter and soft soil, picking prey from the ground and low vegetation. Opportunistically takes small seeds and other organic matter while foraging.
Preferred Environment
Forages on shaded forest floors, along stream margins, and in swampy thickets with abundant leaf litter. Uses dense cover to move unseen, often along narrow runways under tangles and fallen logs.
