Remarks
On Kangaroo Island, SA, it was first observed by John Seymour 30m upstream from Rocky River Waterhole in January 1977, and later by others in April 1979 downstream, and in April 1981 on the upper reaches of the North West River (The Annotated List of the Birds of Kangaroo Island, C. Baxter and M. Berris, NPWS, 1995 ISBN 0 7308 0677 4)
Nest
An open structure, composed of dried coarse grasses, low in a tussock of grass.
Eggs (Guide)
3 - 6; glossy, pale cream-brown, finely freckled all over with dark brown, occasionally forming a cap at the larger end; oval; about 30 x 23 mm. Incubation: 19 - 22 days; by both sexes.
Young
Semi-precocial.
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Henderson Crake (Zapornia atra) and Kosrae Crake (Zapornia monasa). Geographical variation slight, and validity of subspecies requires confirmation. Possible subspecies plumbea of southern Australia and New Zealand included in nominate.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
tabuensis (Gmelin, 1789) - Philippines (Luzon) through Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and Chatham Is to New Caledonia and south-western Pacific islands and east through Micronesia and Polynesia.
edwardi Gyldenstolpe, 1955 - Western & central New Guinea.
richardsoni Rand, 1940 - Oranje Mts in central Irian Jaya (western New Guinea).
plumbea Gray, 1829 - South-eastern and south-western Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and Chatham Is.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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