African Rail (Rallus caerulescens)

Other Names (World)
African Rail, Kaffir Rail, African Water Rail, African Kaffir Rail, Cape Rail

Family
Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, Coots)

Size
30 cm

First Described (Guide)
Gmelin, 1789

Habitat
Permanent and temporary swamps and marshes often at the edge of lakes, pools, rivers and streams, seasonally wet sugar-cane plantations and paddy-fields adjacent to natural marshes. For breeding, seasonally inundated grasslands and sedge meadows with robust sedges and grasses about 50 cm or more in height.

Range (Guide)

Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania [United Republic of], Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Vagrant to S�o Tom� e Principe, Sierra Leone.

Sub-Saharan Africa, principally from Ethiopia to eastern Zaire and Kenya and south to Cape of Good Hope. Status uncertain in western Africa; occurrence in north-eastern Central African Republic and coastal Kenya requires confirmation.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Worms, crustaceans, aquatic and terrestrial adult and larval insects, spiders, small fish, small frogs. Some vegetable matter including seeds.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (23)...)

African Rail (Rallus caerulescens) [XC392682]
by Peter Boesman from Elandsbaai area, Western Cape, South Africa (call)

African Rail (Rallus caerulescens) [XC804041]
by Louis A. Hansen from Zouoba, Sembe, Sangha, Congo (Brazzaville) (song)

Nest
A shallow cup of plant matter well concealed in aquatic vegetation, usually over water.

Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Western Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) and Madagascar Rail (Rallus madagascariensis).

No subspecies.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for African Rail (Rallus caerulescens) - 10 files

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BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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