Baillon's crake

White lines run sparsely.

Scientific name	Zapornia pusilla
English name	Baillon's crake
Japanese name	姫水鶏
Classification	Aves
Classification details	Gruiformes Rallidae
Full length	16-20cm.
Distribution	Rarely seen throughout the country.

Characteristics

A small rail less than 20cm long.

White and black lines run sparsely across its brown body. A white horizontal line runs along the underside of its tail feathers. It has black feathers on the top of its head. Its beak appears yellow to yellowish green. Its iris is red to reddish brown.

Ecology

It lurks near water such as marshes and rice paddies, or in the grass nearby.

It eats small animals and plants near the water.

Habitat

Tama River midstream

I discovered an individual walking along the water on an autumn morning. It was dimly lit so I thought for a moment it was a rail, but it was a size smaller and its beak wasn't red so I decided it was a different species.

It was foraging by moving between the bushes near the shallow water and the surface of the water. A common cranes and a common rail also appeared on the same day, but of the three species, this one came closest to the observer and spent the longest time out in sight while foraging. This individual seemed to be less wary.

It stayed near the same water for at least two days.