Slaty-legged crake
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Slaty-legged crake
| image = Slaty-legged_crake_(Rallina_eurizonoides)_Photograph_by_Shantanu_Kuveskar.jpg
| image_caption = Rallina eurizonoides
Mangaon, Maharashtra, India
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Rallina
| species = eurizonoides
| authority = (Lafresnaye, 1845)
| synonyms = *Rallina euryzonoides
- Rallina minahasa
}}
The slaty-legged crake or banded crake (Rallina eurizonoides) is a waterbird in the rail and crake family, Rallidae.
Distribution and habitat
Description
The slaty-legged crake is about 25 cm long. Its body is flattened laterally to allow easier passage through the undergrowth. It has long toes and a short tail. Colouring includes a brown back, chestnut head and breast, and strong black-and-white barring on the flanks, belly and undertail. The throat is white, the bill is yellowish, and the legs are green. Sexes are similar; juveniles are dark brown above and below, although they have the belly barring and white throat.
Behaviour
Slaty-legged crakes are territorial, but are quite secretive, hiding in bushes when disturbed. They probe with their bill in mud or shallow water, also picking up food by sight. They forage for berries and insects on the ground, or clambering through bushes and undergrowth. They nest in a dry location on the ground or low bush usually near forest paths and forest streams, laying 4–8 eggs. A study conducted in Nilambur, Kerala in southern India shows that the incubation period was about 20 days.{{cite journal|last1=Murukesh M.D.|first1=Peroth Balakrishnan|title=On the breeding of the Slaty-legged Crake (Aves: Rallidae: Rallina eurizonoides) in Nilambur, Kerala, southern India|journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa|year=2015|volume=7|issue=6|pages=7298–7301|url=http://www.threatenedtaxa.in/index.php/JoTT/article/view/2029/3249|doi=10.11609/jott.o4185.7298-301 |doi-access=free}}
References
{{Commons category|Rallina eurizonoides}}
{{Reflist}}
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, {{ISBN|0-691-04910-6}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q679123}}
Category:Birds of Eastern Himalaya
Category:Birds of the Ryukyu Islands